Death Sentence Upheld For Upper Merion Baby Killer

UPPER MERION, PA -- A man convicted of killing a baby and her grandmother had the death sentence imposed on him upheld by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, according to court documents.

Raghunandan Yandamuri, 30, of Upper Merion, was convicted in 2014 of the October 2012 stabbing death of 61-year-old Satyavathi Venna, as well as the suffocation death of Saanvi Venna, her 10-month-old granddaughter. The killings were part of a botched kidnapping- for-ransom plot attempted by the defendant, authorities have alleged.

In 2015, a Montgomery County jury convicted Yandamuri, a former friend of the Venna family, of first-degree murder for each slaying, handing down a pair of death sentences.

The case since has been unusual: Yandamuri determined to represent himself during the appeals process, and he also decided to press perjury charges against a detective who testified during his trial.

In a decision penned by Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justice Max Baer, the court reaffirmed that the evidence to prosecute Yandamuri was sufficient, and cited numerous background elements supporting the jury's determination to execute. The court also responded to and refuted each of Yandamuri's claims about unfair treatment, including his allegations that his Miranda rights were not read and that he was arrested without probable cause.

The death sentence for Yandamuri, who holds an advanced degree in electrical and computer science engineering, will now be sent to Gov. Tom Wolf's desk. Wolf declared a moratorium on the death penalty in the state in 2015.

Image via Montgomery County District Attorney's Office