Deaths of Indian-origin couple, daughter in Massachusetts ruled murder-suicide
New York (PTI): The deaths of a wealthy Indian-origin couple and their daughter in the US state of Massachusetts last week have been ruled a murder-suicide by medical authorities after autopsy.
Rakesh Kamal, 57, his wife Teena Kamal, 54 and their college-going daughter Arianna Kamal, 18 were found dead in their USD 5 million mansion in Dover, Massachusetts on December 28, 2023.
A firearm was found near Rakesh Kamal.
A press release issued by the office of Norfolk District Attorney Michael Morrissey on Tuesday said that autopsy results issued by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner confirm that Teena and her daughter Arianna were victims of homicide by gunshot.
Rakesh died from a "gunshot wound consistent with being self-inflicted". The final autopsy report is likely to be completed in the coming weeks.
The release further said that while full forensic and ballistics testing of the gun has not been finalised, the firearm found with Rakesh is consistent with a .40 calibre Glock 22.
However, the firearm was not registered in Rakesh's name and "he was not licensed to possess it," the release added.
Massachusetts State Police have contacted the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives for assistance in determining the origin of the firearm. The incident remains under investigation by Dover and Massachusetts State Police.
Last week, Morrissey said that the initial investigation indicated the incident was a case of domestic violence and did not initially indicate the involvement of outside parties.
Dover Police received a 911 call requesting a response to the Kamal residence at approximately 7:24 p.m. on December 28 by a family member who had stopped by to check on the family.
The police found the Kamal family dead when it arrived on the scene. Investigators had worked the crime scene through much of the night.
Dover is about 32 kilometres southwest of downtown Boston, the capital of Massachusetts.
Morrissey has said that there had been no prior police reports or domestic incidents tied to the home.
The family's sprawling mansion, estimated to be worth USD 5.45 million, went into foreclosure a year ago and was sold for USD 3 million, according to a report in The New York Post.
The Kamals purchased the 19,000-square-foot estate, which boasts 11 bedrooms and 14 bathrooms, for USD 4 million in 2019, according to the records, and media reports.
The slain family members were the only ones living in the mansion at the time, the DA said, adding that the area, one of the richest in the state, was a nice neighbourhood and a safe community.
Teena and her husband, who also went by Rick, had previously run a now-defunct education systems company called EduNova. The couple appeared to have faced financial problems in recent years, online records show. Their company was launched in 2016 but was dissolved in December 2021, state records show.
Teena was listed on EduNova's website as the chief operating officer of the company, describing her as an alum of Harvard University and Delhi University in India.
According to his biography on the EduNova website, Kamal was an alumnus of Boston University and MIT Sloan School of Management, as well as Stanford University.
Before working at EduNova, he held many executive-level positions in the education-consulting field, the biography added.
EduNova marketed a student success system designed to improve the grades of students in middle school, high school and college, The Boston Globe newspaper reported.
Teena filed for Chapter 13 bankruptcy in September 2022 listing between USD 1 million and USD 10 million in liabilities, filings show. The case, however, was dismissed two months later due to insufficient documentation. She was listed as one of the board of directors for the American Red Cross of Massachusetts.
Her online bio noted her more than three decades of working in the education and technology industries.
Meanwhile, the couple's daughter was a student at Middlebury College, a USD 64,800-a-year private liberal arts school in Vermont, where she was studying neuroscience, according to her LinkedIn profile.
Morrissey also said that a homicide had not been reported in Dover since 2020, and he has never worked a homicide case from that neighbourhood since he started his position as District Attorney 12 years ago.
Morrissey had said that it was very rare to have this kind of a violent situation almost in any community in Norfolk County, particularly Dover. It's a small, well-run community, but like everybody else, there are problems out there that can affect no matter where one lives, he had said.
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UDF leaders see local body poll trends as pointer to 2026 Assembly elections in Kerala
Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): Buoyed by the strong performance of the Congress-led UDF in the local body polls, KPCC president Sunny Joseph said on Saturday that the front's results indicated the people had rejected the LDF government.
According to early trends, the UDF was leading in more grama panchayats, block panchayats, municipalities and corporations than the LDF.
The local body polls were held in two phases in the state earlier this week.
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Speaking to reporters here, Joseph said the people of Kerala had extended their support to the UDF.
"We could expose the LDF government’s anti-people stance and the people understood it. The LDF’s fake propaganda was rejected by the people. The UDF is moving towards a historic victory," he said.
He said a united effort, proper preparations, good candidate selection and hard work had resulted in the Congress and the UDF’s victory in the elections.
Asked about the prospects in the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation, Joseph said the party was studying the matter and would comment later.
LDF convenor T P Ramakrishnan said the results would be closely examined.
According to him, the government had done everything possible for the people.
"Why such a verdict happened will be examined at the micro level. People’s opinion will be considered and further steps will be taken," he said.
He added that decisions would be taken after analysing the results. "If any corrective measures are required, we will initiate them and move forward," he said.
AICC leader K C Venugopal said the results showed that people had begun ousting those who, he alleged, were responsible for the loss of gold at Lord Ayyappa’s temple.
"This trend will continue in the Assembly elections as well. It is an indication that the people are ready to bring down the LDF government," he said.
Venugopal said the UDF had registered victories even in CPI(M) and LDF strongholds.
"I congratulate all UDF workers for their hard work. Congress workers and leaders worked unitedly," he said.
Referring to remarks made by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan against the Congress on polling day, Venugopal said the voters had responded through the verdict.
"I do not know whether the chief minister understands that the people are against him. Otherwise, he does not know the sentiment of the people. The state government cannot move an inch further," he said.
He said the results indicated a strong comeback for the UDF in Kerala.
Asked whether the Sabarimala gold loss issue had affected the LDF in the local polls, Venugopal said the CM and the CPI(M) state secretary did not take the issue seriously.
"We took a strong stand on the matter. The BJP played a foul game in it," he alleged.
On the BJP's role in the local body elections, Venugopal alleged that the party operated with the CPI(M) 's tacit support.
"The CPI(M) supported the central government on issues such as PM-SHRI, labour codes and corruption in national highway construction. The CPI(M) is facing ideological decline, and the state government’s policies are against the party’s own decisions," he said.
Meanwhile, LDF ally Kerala Congress (M) leader Jose K Mani said the party could not win all the wards it had expected in the elections.
He congratulated winners from all parties and said the party would closely examine the losses and identify shortcomings. "Later, we will take corrective measures," he added.
Senior Congress leader and MP Rajmohan Unnithan said the trends in the local body elections indicated that the UDF would return to power in the 2026 Assembly elections.
"We will win 111 seats as in 1977 and return to power in 2026. The anti-government sentiment of the people is reflected in the elections," he said.
Unnithan said the people were disturbed and unhappy with the present government.
"The trend indicates the end of the LDF government," he added.
CPI(M) MLA M M Mani said the people had shown ingratitude towards the LDF despite benefiting from welfare schemes.
"After receiving all welfare schemes and living comfortably, people voted against us due to some temporary sentiments. Is that not ingratitude," he asked.
Mani said no such welfare initiatives had taken place in Kerala earlier.
"People are receiving pensions and have enough to eat. Even after getting all this, they voted against us. This is what can be called ingratitude," he said.
Muslim League state president Panakkad Sayyid Sadiq Ali Shihab Thangal said the results were beyond expectations.
"The outcome points towards the Secretariat in Thiruvananthapuram, indicating that a change of government is imminent. We are going to win the Assembly election," he said.
