Melbourne cyanide murder: Wife, boyfriend tried to kill Kerala man twice
- Sofia Sam and Arun Kamalasanan allegedly killed Sofia's husband Sam using cyanide poisoning
- The two, who allegedly poured poison-laced orange juice down Sam's throat, have pleaded not guilty
- Arun has also been charged with attempting to murder Sam, 34, around three months before his death
- Sam and Sofia were childhood friends. They got married in 2008 and have a son
FollowA Keralite woman and her boyfriend have been ordered to stand trial during a hearing at a Melbourne court on Tuesday, after they pleaded not guilty in a case related to the murder of the woman's husband around two years ago.
Sofia Sam and Arun Kamalasanan allegedly killed Sofia's husband Sam Abraham by pouring poison-laced orange juice down his throat while he was asleep at his residence in Epping, Victoria in 2015. All three hailed from Kollam district in Kerala.
It has now emerged that Arun is also charged with attempting to murder Sam, 34, around three months before his death, .Â
In July 2015, Sam was attacked and stabbed by a balaclava-clad man who had been hiding in his car at the Lalor train station. Sam suffered injuries to the head and neck. The police now allege that Arun was the man in the balaclava.Â
The police have charged Arun with attempted murder and a separate charge of murder while Sofia was charged with murder. Sofia, 33, and Arun, 35, who denied the charges, have now been ordered to stand trial after a committal hearing in Melbourne magistrates court, which heard from the probe team, doctors and Arun's former housemate.
Sam died of cyanide poisoning in October 2015. Ten months after Sam's death, in August 2016, Australian police arrested Sofia and Arun on charges of murder after intercepting their phone calls through a covert probe, which lasted several weeks.
Sofia had brought Sam's body home soon after the murder, saying he died of cardiac arrest. She attended the funeral and returned immediately to Melbourne, saying her employers want her back soon.
Sam and Sofia were childhood friends, and were part of the choir at a local church in Paravur. They got married in 2008 and have a son. Sofia moved to Melbourne first with the help of her sister who was working as a nurse there. Sam, who was working with a money exchange in the UAE, joined his wife after find a job in Melbourne in 2013.
Arun, an instrumentation engineer, was already in Melbourne since 2008. He is married with a son. It is understood that Sofia knew Arun from college.
