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PHILADELPHIA -- The man charged in the murder of a baby and her grandmother during a botched kidnapping and ransom scheme claimed that he killed both victims by accident, according to video released during his court appearance Wednesday.
Raghunandan Yandamuri, 26, is accused of murdering 10-month-old Saanvi Venna and her grandmother, Satyavathi Venna, 61, last month. It happened on Oct. 22, at an apartment complex in Upper Merion where both the Venna family and Yandamuri, a family friend, lived.
Police believe Yandamuri went to the apartment with the intention of kidnapping Saanvi and holding her for ransom. But police say Satyavathi, who was babysitting the child, fought for her granddaughter and was fatally stabbed by Yandamuri.
On Oct. 26, the baby's body was found in the basement of the apartment building and Yandamuri was arrested. Police say they also found a ransom note from Yandamuri demanding $50,000.
'Didn't mean to kill anyone'
On Wednesday, Yandamuri appeared in court for a preliminary hearing. During the hearing, a 23-minute video confession was played for the court, according to NBC10's Deanna Durante.
In the video, Yandamuri told police he "accidentally" slit Satyavathi Venna's throat and that he "didn't mean to kill anyone." The video also showed him confessing to stuffing a handkerchief in the baby's mouth and wrapping a towel around her head when she wouldn't stop crying.
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Yandamuri said in the video that he put the baby in a suitcase, escaped via a fire escape and sneaked into the basement of another apartment building.
Yandamuri also told police that when he took Saanvi out of the suitcase the towel was still wrapped around her face and she was unconscious. He said he removed the towel and handkerchief, splashed water on her and left her in the basement while he returned home, took a shower and went to work.
He also told police he went back to the basement around 3:30 p.m. with a bottle of milk for the girl but that she was already dead.
Yandamuri's defense attorney argued in court that since his client did not mean to kill anyone, first-degree murder should be taken off the table. Prosecutors disagreed, citing Yandamuri's ransom note as evidence against the attorney's claim.
According to prosecutors, 10 copies of the ransom note were left in the apartment of the Venna family with several references that if they didn't bring $50,000 by 8 p.m. that night that the baby would be killed. Prosecutors say that showed there was intention and premeditation for murder. The judge agreed with the prosecutors and ordered that Yandamuri stand trial on charges of first-degree murder, kidnapping, robbery, theft and abuse of corpse.
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I don't buy his statements at all. You don't "accidentally" kill someone with a knife. Perhaps with a gun, facing the wrong direction or misfiring, but not a knife.
Don't worry, after your trial, decades of appeals, and last minute pleas, I'll be sure to pay off your executioner to accidentally stick the needle right through your veins so you can enjoy a slow, excruciating lethal injection.
Unfortunately the injection won't be excruciating enough!
You almost want to execute him twice for offering up such an inane lie.
I don't even know if Pennsylvania has a death penalty. But if it does, this guy deserves it.
Pennsylvania is a death penalty state almost in name only. They like to keep their death row inmates as permanent fixtures.
I agree with what XDm9mm said.
If he run for president he's got my vote
...
Profiling of middle eastern Americans continues.
I thought the last election would put an end to this.
No wonder they hate us.
.
Joe Biden in 2016.
...
Profiling My foot!!!!!
Both the Perp and the Victim are descended from Southern Asia, not the Middle east, my friend....
P.S. Joe Biden is an idiotic clown, I would rather have Obama for a third before that joker
No, we hate you because of ignorant comments like that.
Did you bother to read the article??? Have you followed this story at all since it happened???
The monster knew the family. The monster also had a serious gambling problem. The monster confessed. The Venna family and the monster are all from India.
Profiling??? Was the monster even an American citizen???
You wouldn't be trolling now, would you??? LOL
...and I thought the oncoming winter would kill all the fools and idiots.
I guess we were both wrong, nothing new here.
c'est la guerre.
CMON MAN, learn the difference between middle eastern, muslims, hindus, indians etc. Then maybe people will listen to you.
Indigo,
You think a US national election would end racial profiling?...lol. Maybe you can rely on your boy Biden for that.
Just a thought, if you have a flood of terrorists of a certain ethnic origin pouring into your nation to kill its people, it's probably not a bad idea to focus some neccesary attention into screening people from that ethnic group. I say this with due respect to individuals in my proposed hypothetical group that would be coming here for honorable reasons...I have to assume that portion of any ethnic group would also want those who would do evil screened as well. In short, racial profiling is necassary sometimes...it just has to be applied in a manner that produces a good end result, that is to say, saves lives of ALL people. If an abnormally large percentage of white Europeans were coming into our country to commit acts of terror I don't think I would have an ounce of a problem with our government paying special attention to that particular group upon entry. We are the only country on earth with a huge diversity in our population. We have people coming from everywhere. It has in the past and will be necesary in the future to focus in on certain groups to weed out terrorists.
I am sure I am not articulating my thoughts in a 100% agreeable fashion but consider this...almost no other country on earth will even have this problem because most other countries are made up of literally the same race with very few exceptions.
Apologies Indigo,
The above statement was ment for "nothing new here"
Stupid thing wouldn't let me fix the comment...lol. Apologies again.
This case reminds me of the Murders of the Rue Morgue... Except the Perp in that Edgar Allen Poe classic was an Orangutan.
I think someone should accidentally lower the power on the electric chair and turn it on and off, again accidentally, until he suffers a slow death so that he cannot accidentally hurt anyone else.
It's amazing the excuses people have but even more amazing that there are those who will side with them.
From one aspect it sounds appealing, but then PA does not have the Chair anymore - they have the needle loke most states.
damned foreigners!! SMH....how do you accidentally slit a child's throat???
Yeah, the world would be a better place without foreigners. ;-)
Agree with God....reno, do you even realize how absurb that statement is?
No it's not Troy....look at your history! You didn't understand Troy evidentally!
elaborate please. Help me undertand your "damn foreigners" statement. The other I agree with but why with the "damn foreigners"?...lord knows we have enough domestic wack jobs...what's the difference?
If you respond with something stupid I'm just moving on. Just trying to understand what it is that I "didn't understand".
History Troy.....History! Is there a 'stupid' pill being passed around?? SMH!
OK....not sure of your background or anything but if you are not a Native American honestly your "damn foreigners" statement has no validity what-so-ever and you are here because of "damn foreigners". If you are Native American I don't mean to be insulting and can then see your point of view. Since I honestly wouldn't know whether you would be lying or not I think I'll just move on.
I know the history of my ancestors well.....and where they came from, why and what they did good and bad along the way. It is a very checkered story for sure.
Anyway, we are totally off on a tangent...was just curious about your perspective and where you were coming from and decide that you are either a klucker or a Native American, the first I don't care to be around and second I have a huge amount of respect and admiration for.
...moving on now.
Good idea Troy....move on!
You got nothing as I suspected......klucker... no doubt in my mind now.
All you are is an insecure troller Troy! Better get a life and be quick about it! Hmmmm....love the words you jerks make up! LOL! KLUCKER....SMH!
By the way Troy....do you happen to wear black framed glasses?....just wondering
Really? He didn't mean to kill? What, he thinks kidnapping is a harmless crime?
My hearts and prayers go to the victim's family. As for the perp - an accidental lethal injection would warranted.
My heart and prayers go out the the family. I can't imagine the pain that they're experiencing. I hope that justice is served and he spends the rest of his miserable life suffering in prison.
It could have been in self defense.
THIS IS not by accident, he is guilty as sin and should be put to death, end of story, when he dies he will face God, it's not the end until God is finished with you,
I'd like to be there to "accidentally" throw the switch on the electric chair.
This guy must have a MORON for an attorney. Should have known that "didn't mean to kill" was not going to work. Should have said for example the RED dot fell of my clients forehead and he uses it for his daily guidance , so therefore my client went temporarily insane, but he plans painting one as soon as this murder thing is behind him . This attorney must have gotten his law license over the Internet after he got his GED there also.
awww, maybe someone should "accidently" pop one thru the back of his head! Excuses! He knew what he was doing, let him pay for it!!
The only accident was that he was born.
We need to go back to the days when we had quick trials and sentencing. Then immediately following, criminals were escorted to the court house lawn and hanged.
Yes the good old days before due process and all that. Mob justice is awesome!
Joe Scatone: Do you thing it is due process when expensive tax payed lawyers cause mass murders to live at tax payer expense for 30 or more years???
Joe Scatone
No-one is saying don't give him his trial. I'm a big proponent of Constitutional protections. But once he's found guilty, especially since he HAS admitted to the crime, execute him immediately after. Why do we need to continue nonsensical appeals, when there is no basis for appeal? He IS guilty, per his own words.
Oh there are lots of people who don't think he deserves any due process at all. People who think all the protections guaunteed in the Constitution don't apply when the crime is horrible. And that's why we don't have mob justice in this country. Just look at 80% of the comments.
He gets to appeal because he is entitled to appeals under the law as it is currently written. Don't like it? Then vote for people (or run for your office yourself) who will try and change that.
No due process....skin this pig alive, hang him in town square and let the birds eat the maggots from his body.
MOB JUSTICE NOW!
I think you are kidding but but that is what I'm talking about. Our system has to protect the accused (and even people who admit their crimes) from this kind of mentality or else we are no better than they are. And it's a very slippery slope to say that certain kinds of crimes don't require due process and exactly why the Constitution guaruntees it to everybody.
What part of "he confessed" do you not understand Joe? We all get the part about you understanding the laws and how justice works, but what you fail to pick up on is that we the people are sick and tired of spending billions of dollars of our hard earned money on scum like this that is guilty beyond doubt, and also that our elected officials no longer go on the wishes of we the people, they just do as they damn well please. The justice system in this nation has morphed into a GD farce. It is ALL about #1 MONEY, #2 Politically motivated, and we the people are damned sick of it along with a lot of other things!
Im sort of kidding Joe...
or to define my position on the topic better;..the rat bastard confessed to murdering a baby and a grandmother! If this guy was accessible he would be dead this very second...that is my emotion on the topic so yes, listening to my emotions, I would enjoy if this guy was cut a hundred times with a rusty razor, rolled around in some cow crap and then thrown in a pool of alcohol over and over again until death does he part.
The rational side of my nature however agrees with due process....
....so...I suppose as long as this guy isn't made accessible to all of us who want him dead, due process must be aloud to prevail. What ya say midnightridr? ....come on, just drop him off somewhere and tell us where he is and turn your head for five mins...we could save the state tons of money and help feed Floridas alligators...they will eat anything, including nasty filth like this...lol.
@Midnightridr. Elected officials don't take an oath to "go on the wishes of we the people". They take an oath to uphold the Constitution, and the Constitution requires due process even for people who are accused of a horrible crime. (And yes, even for people who admit to a horrible crime). Now usually when there is a confession, due process is a lot shorter because there is no trial, but he still has the right to representation and cruel and unusual punishment is still illegal. You don't get to pick and choose which parts of the Constitution apply in any given situation no matter how vile the crime.
I would think it would be a terrible accident if he was accidentally hung up side down using piano wire around his male appendages.
Well he didn't kidnap them by accident so it's irrelevant.
Feed him to Sarlacc! "In its belly you will find a new definition of pain and suffering as you are slowly digested over a…thousand years."
ACCIDENTLY ????? Now I've heard everything. I suppose tat he accidently kidnapped them too ???Guess he's trying an INSANITY defence ...
This guy should be locked in a room and forgotten until he is nothing but a lifeless corpse. A slow death from starvation and dehydration is the least of what someone like this deserves. Does PA have a death penalty? If not, a special case should be made for this monster.
The needle asap after due process.
I am embarrassed to be part of a country with such stupid and hateful people- I am talking about most of the comments here! We are not a barbaric country - of course we must rely on our laws and legal due process. And of course this guy should be punished, and will be. No need to hang him by his balls, or torture him, or make jokes about accidentally killing him -that just puts you down at his low level. Surely we, and our leaders, should have more dignity. I am so very sorry for what happened to that little baby and brave grandmother- let's not besmirch their memories by focusing on animalistic fantasies of torture. He sounds like he was mentally handicapped or severely emotionally disturbed. I send thoughts of peace to the families involved. And as for we readers -let us have some dignity.
The comments you are referring to are a natural reaction to such a horrendous crime.
It is very hard for people to wrap their mind around killing a baby like that.
I just feel so sad and sorry for the human race when I hear of babies and children being murdered.
cut him up slowly with a rusty butter knife "accidentally of course"