A poisonous love cheat? You’re the judge

Sam found her I n October 2015, Sofia dead in their husband Sam Abraham looked as if he’d had marital bed. At first, it cyanide was found a heart attack but, when clear he’d suffered in his system, it became investigation an agonising death. A murder secr

To family and friends, Sofia Sam, 33, and her husband Sam Abraham, 33, had the perfect marriage. Sam was a loving family man who doted on his wife and their young son, 6.

They lived comfortably in the suburb of Epping, near Melbourne, after moving to Australia from their native India.

Arguments between the pair were few and there was no clue their relationship was anything but happy.

But Sofia was a long way from home.

In 2013, she was still trying to find her feet in a new city.

So when old college pal Arun Kamalasanan, 35, moved to Melbourne, she was thrilled.

They were both now married with families, but regularly caught up over coffee.

In the meantime, Sofia and Sam put down roots. Talked openly of having another child.

But, on 14 October 2015, all this would change forever.

At 9am, Sofia called her sister, in tears, to say Sam wouldn’t wake up.

The sister, a nurse, rushed over, found Sam unresponsive.

She performed CPR as she and Sofia waited for an ambulance. But it was too late – Sam was dead.

When the news was confirmed, Sofia appeared to be in shock.

She said she’d made Sam an avocado smoothie before bed the night before – a and there’d been no sign he was unwell. The next thing she remembered was waking up to his terrifyingly still body next to hers. Initially, it appeared Sam had suffered a heart attack during the night. However, the postmortem revealed something startling. Deadly cyanide and sedatives in Sam’s system. It cast doubt on Sofia’s story, and the police were called. For weeks, detectives kept revelations about Sam’s poisoning quiet. They launched an undercover surveillance operation to watch Sofia, intercepting h her calls, g gathering evidence. Yet, rather than h hiding away in grief, S Sofia carried on as if nothing ha had happened. She was often out and about. And there was one person in particular she seemed to enjoy meeting. Arun Kamalasanan. Was he really just a friend – or was there more going on that nobody, especially Sam, had known about? The police dug deeper and a search revealed a diary containing mysterious, handwritten notes between Sofia and Arun.

I wish to sleep in your arms... I want to be yours but you are not mine, she’d written.

One particularly ominous entry was written a few days before Sam’s death.

Planning is always needed in what we do. An idea without a plan is no more than a dream, it read.

It wasn’t just Sofia pouring her heart out in the diary.

Arun had been busy writing notes, too.

I am sure that one day she will be mine, this life or next, one said.

So, were Arun and Sofia secretly in love?

In Indian culture, divorce is not considered acceptable. Had they plotted to kill Sam to be together?

This was the question that the police wanted answered – and with evidence mounting, they arrested Sofia and Arun.

The pair were charged with murder.

However, they were charged independently – meaning one could be found guilty, while the other could walk free. Both pleaded not guilty. And during their trial in January 2018, both defence

‘Planning is always needed in all we do...’

teams and the prosecution went on the attack.

The prosecution alleged that the avocado smoothie which Sofia gave her husband was laced with sleeping pills.

Then, once he’d passed out, they claimed Arun and Sofia together force-fed Sam orange juice laced with a lethal dose of cyanide.

They emphasised that the level of sedative in the smoothie wasn’t strong enough to stop Sam experiencing excruciating pain as he was slowly poisoned to death.

‘This would not have been a quiet death, this would have been a death involving seizures and convulsions.

‘It beggars belief Sofia could wake up in the morning and think her husband simply died of a heart attack,’ the prosecutor told the jury.

And she said that Sophia and Arun’s motive was simple: ‘They both wanted to be together.’

The diary entries were read to the jury.

The court also heard that Sofia and Arun had opened a joint bank account a year before the murder.

Was this in preparation for their new lives together? Sofia’s defence bit back. They accused Arun of acting alone to murder Sam.

They claimed that she was stunned to find her husband dead next to her.

And, that according to Sofia, her relationship with Arun was nothing more than a close friendship.

They said there was no illicit affair and, although Arun loved Sofia, the feeling wasn’t mutual.

Her defence suggested Arun poisoned Sam to claim Sofia for himself.

But Arun’s lawyer painted a different picture.

It was alleged that Arun had confessed to drugging and poisoning Sam Abraham to an undercover officer.

Yet his lawyer claimed Arun was merely an ‘isolated man with financial problems’ in a new country, who’d made false claims of poisoning his lover’s husband to ‘big himself up’.

The lawyer maintained that Arun had nothing to do with Sam’s murder.

And, with that, the jury were left with a dilemma.

Had Arun acted alone to murder his love rival, or was it Sofia who’d wanted her husband dead?

Perhaps they were both innocent – or perhaps they were lovers-turnedkillers, who’d done this together...

This would be a slow and painful death

The jury wer were convinced that Sofia Sam and Arun Kamalasanan were secret lovers who were desperate to be together, by any means possible.

They were both found guilty of murdering Sam Abraham by poisoning with cyanide.

Sofia broke down in tears as the verdict was announced and she was led into custody. Arun remained emotionless throughout...

The pair are now awaiting sentencing and face life in prison.