THE State has called for the conviction of Daniel Francis Prasad, arguing that overwhelming evidence proves he brutally murdered his wife Karishma Chaudhary with a cane knife outside their Nadi home.
In closing submissions filed before Justice Aruna Aluthge at the High Court in Lautoka on Wednesday, State prosecutors Joeli Nasa and John Vaurasi submitted that Mr Prasad’s detailed admissions, physical evidence, and eyewitness testimony established his guilt beyond reasonable doubt.
The court heard that on the morning of April 27, 2025, Mr Prasad confessed his actions to police officers arriving at the scene, stating he had chopped his wife and felt no regret.
Prosecutors highlighted that Mr Prasad confirmed his guilt across four separate stages of the investigation, including recorded caution interviews and a filmed crime scene reconstruction demonstrating how he used the blade.
Pathologist Dr Pranil Kumar testified that Ms Chaudhary died from severe sharp-force trauma to the head and neck.
The fatal blows involved substantial force, penetrating her skull and driving 10 millimetres into the brain.
A prosecution witness testified that after hearing screams and children crying, she looked out her window to see Mr Prasad holding a cane knife beside his wife’s bloodied body.
Taking the stand in his defence, Mr Prasad claimed he walked out of his kitchen to find two unknown men standing over his wife’s body.
He told the court that the men were having an affair with her and were the actual killers.
The State urged the court to completely reject Mr Prasad’s account as his defence failed to put this claim to prosecution witnesses during cross-examination, nor did he present an alibi.
The State submitted that the deliberate target of delicate body parts demonstrated a clear intention to kill, leaving no alternative verdict available to the court.
The court heard that the defence would be filing written closing submissions.
The matter has been adjourned to September 2 for judgment.
