Raghunandan Yandamuri (born 21 February 1986)[1] is an Indian citizen, murderer, and kidnapper, who is currently awaiting execution on death row in the U.S. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, at SCI Somerset, as of 2024.[1] On 20 November 2014, he was sentenced to death for the 22 October 2012 murder of 61-year-old Satyavathi Venna and the kidnapping-murder of her 10-month-old granddaughter, Saanvi Venna, at an Upper Merion Township apartment in Montgomery County.[2][3][4] He was previously scheduled for execution by lethal injection on 23 February 2018, at age 32, but it was halted due to the 2015 moratorium of the death penalty in Pennsylvania.[4][5]
Personal life
Not much is known about Yandamuri's personal life. He is a citizen of India and a native to the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. He's also known to hold an advanced degree in electrical and computer science engineering.[5][3]
Background
Two days prior to the murders and kidnapping, Yandamuri attended a next-door birthday party along with his wife, at the Marquis Apartments in King of Prussia. One of the murder victims, 10-month-old Saanvi Venna, along with her parents, Chenchu and Venkata Venna were also present at the party. At some point during the party, the mother of Saanvi, Chenchu, was reported to have spoken about the gold jewellery that Saanvi was wearing and her being babysitted by her grandparents. Yandamuri was also reported to have held Saanvi during the party.[3] Prior to the crime, Yandamuri had lost $15,000 at a casino, which is possibly a motive behind the crime.[6]
Crime
On 22 October 2012, Yandamuri returned to the Vennas’ apartment suite at Marquis, while wearing a black hoodie. Yandamuri proceeded to knock on the Vennas’ door, leading to 61-year-old Satyavathi Venna, Saanvi's grandmother, answering. Yandamuri then brandished a four-inch knife, in an attempt to abduct Saanvi.[3] Satyavathi attempted to back away, into the kitchen where she would later die, as Yandamuri continued to brandish his knife and follow her. Yandamuri then picked up Saanvi, as he was still brandishing his knife towards Satyavathi. An altercation soon ensued, where Yandamuri allegedly fell down while holding Saanvi, causing him to slit Satyavathi's throat and fall down atop of Saanvi.[7] This was later proven false, as Satyavathi's autopsy results show that she had died from three deep "chopping wounds" to her neck area, with some of them striking bone,[3] as well as three stab wounds to her chest. She had also lost fingers in the altercation, as she had tried to guard her neck. After the altercation, Saanvi began to cry, due to Yandamuri falling atop of her. To muffle Saanvi's cries, Yandamuri placed a handkerchief in her mouth and later fastened a towel around the handkerchief to secure it. This later caused Saanvi to die from suffocation.[8][7][3] Yandamuri then proceeded to rummage through suitcases, finding Saanvi's jewellery in a blue suitcase. After this, Yandamuri placed Saanvi inside of the suitcase, half-zipped, then left the suitcase inside the men's sauna of the apartment's gym. Yandamuri then went to his own apartment to take a shower, returning afterwards to discard the suitcase in a dumpster. Yandamuri also discarded some of the jewellery into the Schuylkill River and kept the remainder in a bag, concealed behind a vending machine inside of his office building. A ransom note for $50,000 was also left at the scene by Yandamuri, intended for Saanvi's parents.[9][3] The note, with many spelling errors stated:
shiva[,] [sic; Venkata Venna] your daughter has been kidnapped[.] if [sic] you report this to cops[,] your daughter will be cut into pieces and found dead[.] if [sic] you inform this to anyone[,] you will find your daughter body parts [sic] thrown into your apartments[.] our [sic] prople [sic] are monitoring all your moves all the time[,] your emails & phones are being traced[.]
if [sic] you want your daughter alive and safe , [sic] follow our instructions carefully.
we [sic] want $50,000.00 by end of the day[.]
your [sic] wife[,] lata [Chenchu Venna] have [sic] to bring money to the location alone.
if [sic] we see you or your wife accompanied with (or) informed to anyone (cop/human), you will find your daughter dead. This is very serious.
Its [sic] up to you to decide, you want your fyr [sic] old daughter Smonths [sic] of your income.
By 8PM today, lata [Chenchu Venna] alone should get $50,000.00 cash and come to baha fresh at acme store complex. [sic]
once [sic] our person receives money from her at baha fresh, we will
call you and tell the address where to pick your baby home.
Any cunning act from anyone of you [sic] will lead to your daughter's death.
Be prepared by 8PM today with cash. we [sic] dont want any excuses. Remember that your baby is starving since morning[.][10]
Investigation, interrogation and arrest
The investigation into Yandamuri started when detectives from the Upper Merion police were alerted to the murder of Satyavathi, the disappearance of Saanvi from an apartment suite, and the ransom note left behind by Yandamuri. As days elapsed without any hint of a perpetrator, suspicions curved towards Yandamuri, a neighbour of the Vennas, who had shown an odd interest in the Saanvi, days prior to her vanishing.[11][3] The interrogation of Yandamuri was a pivotal moment in the investigation, as detectives revealed the truth behind the crime. After he was brought in for questioning, Yandamuri was originally defiant towards disclosing his actions, but as the evidence mounted against him, his attitude switched from defiance to desperation. Throughout hours of continuous interrogation, detectives were able to obtain proclamations from Yandamuri, exposing the details of the crime he had committed, leading to his arrest four days after the crime.[12][3]
Trial
Yandamuri's trial began on 25 September 2014 and was highly publicized and controversial, due to the nature of his crime and his Indian citizenship.[13] The jury selection took several weeks due to the high-profile nature of his case.[14] The prosecution presented many pieces of physical evidence, connecting Yandamuri to the crime scene. It contained fingerprints, DNA samples and surveillance footage. Witnesses further testified that they saw Yandamuri near the victims’ apartment suite on the day of the crime. Yandamuri's defence crew provided a vigorous defence, arguing that their client had been coerced into confessing his role, by the detectives. They likewise produced questions about the dependability of the material evidence, suggesting that it may have been tampered with.[14][15] During the whole of his trial, Yandamuri maintained innocence, claiming that he had been framed for the murders. Nevertheless, his account was weakened by the overwhelming amount of evidence bestowed by the prosecutor, abandoning little doubt in the minds of the jury about his guilt.[16][8] At the end of his trial, Yandamuri was found guilty on all counts and officially sentenced to death on 20 November 2014, after he decided to give up on finding more arguments.[3]
Incarceration
As of 2024, Yandamuri is incarcerated on death row at SCI Somerset. He was previously incarcerated at SCI Greene and SCI Phoenix, until he was finally moved to SCI Somerset, where he currently resides.[17][1][5]
