Defendant Seeks To Overturn Death Sentence in 2012 Montco Double Murder of Toddler and Grandmother
Rhagu Yandimuri was sentenced to death last year for killing ten-month-old Saanvi Venna and her grandmother in King of Prussia in 2012.
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Rhagu Yandimuri was sentenced to death last year for killing ten-month-old Saanvi Venna and her grandmother in King of Prussia in 2012.
After three and a half hours of deliberations, the seven men and five women delivered the death penalty to Raghu Yandamuri for the killings of Saanvi Venna and her grandmother.
The Upper Merion man was found guilty of murdering a grandmother and her infant granddaughter two years ago. He acted as his own attorney during the trial phase.
Raghu Yandamuri, who also killed the infant girl's grandmother, told the judge he doesn't want the hearing and will accept the death penalty.
A Montgomery County jury has found an Upper Merion man guilty of all charges including two counts of first degree murder for killing a ten-month-old girl and her grandmother during a botched kidnapping attempt nearly two years ago.
Prosecutors contend that Raghu Yandamuri, 28, tried to kidnap ten-month-old Saanvi Venna and hold her for ransom to pay off his gambling debts.
Several jurors in the trial of an Upper Merion man accused of murdering a ten-month-old girl and her grandmother were visibly shaken today when prosecutors showed one of their many crime scene photos.
"There was identification that was used that indicated that he was at the casino at least thirty times in the months preceding the murder," prosecutor Kevin Steele notes.
Rahgu Yandamuri is accused of murdering a 61-year-old woman and her ten-month-old granddaughter nearly two years ago during a botched robbery-kidnapping in King of Prussia.
It took nearly seven days and a pool of more than 180 potential jurors, but the defense and prosecution have finished picking a jury to hear the case against Raghu Yandamuri.
Jury selection is scheduled Tuesday in the trial of a suburban Philadelphia man accused of having killed a baby and her grandmother in a botched kidnapping plot.
Raghu Yandamuri, the defendant, asked for the continuance, telling the judge he needs more time to meet with his forensic pathologist, a DNA expert, and his investigator.
Raghu Yandamuri is facing the death penalty if he's convicted of first-degree murder in the deaths of little Saanvi Venna and her grandmother, but he still asked a judge to allow him to discharge his trial lawyer.
A Montgomery County judge has delivered a crucial defeat to a man accused of murdering a ten-month-old girl and her grandmother during what prosecutors say was a botched kidnapping in King of Prussia.
During Raghu Yandamuri's preliminary hearing, defense attorney Steve Heckman labeled a videotaped confession by his client "damaging." Heckman is now arguing to have that video kept away from a jury should the case go to trial.
The lawsuit names the owners of the Marquis Apartment Complex in Upper Merion, the property management company, its security firm, and the man accused of killing ten-month-old Saanvi Venna and her grandmother.
Raghu Yandamuri has sent a number of communications to his attorneys, the judge, and even the district attorney's office. But the judge says the two motions filed earlier this week are the most serious.
A Montgomery County judge has delayed the start of a trial for a King of Prussia, Pa. man accused of murdering an infant and her grandmother in their Upper Merion apartment last year in what prosecutors say was a planned kidnapping gone wrong.
One by one, prosecutors read the charges against Raghu Yandamuri during his formal arraignment. And one by one, his attorney answered, "Not guilty."
The search for a missing infant from a King of Prussia apartment in late October captivated the Philadelphia region, but hope turned to sadness when the baby's body was found several days later.
In a 20-minute videotaped confession to police, Raghu Yandamuri says he planned to kidnap Saanvi Venna to get money from her parents.
The Upper Merion man accused of murdering a 10-month old girl and her grandmother in a failed abduction attempt last month is scheduled for a court appearance in Montgomery County this morning.
A 61-year-old Indian woman found slain in a suburban Philadelphia apartment where she was babysitting her granddaughter while visiting her family died of cuts to her neck and chest, a coroner said Thursday. The 10-month old girl remains missing.
Saanvi has been missing since Monday. Authorities believe she was abducted from her home in the Marquis Apartments in King of Prussia where her grandmother was found dead.
The search continues for Saanvi Venna. The 10-month-old has been missing since Monday, when her grandmother was killed and the infant was taken from an apartment in King of Prussia. Hundreds gathered on Wednesday night, praying for her safe return during a candlelight vigil.
