A man who was wrongfully imprisoned for 13 years over the rape and murder of a 15-year-old school girl has been released from prison.
He was arrested over the rape and death of the girl from Eheliyagoda which occurred in June 2009.
The girl who was returning home from school had been abducted, raped, and murdered after being hit on the head, while her body had been disposed of in a mountain area.
Investigations had led to the arrest of a herder in the area and he had been sentenced to prison following a DNA test that had matched that of the victim.
Even though he was granted bail after a period, he was forced to languish in jail as no individual had appeared to post bail.
However, the arrest of a resident of Eheliyagoda over the murder of a 90-year-old woman revealed the true suspect behind the murder of the schoolgirl.
Upon being remanded, the suspect, identified as Premasiri Senanayake, had met the herder who had initially been remanded over the murder, informing the latter that he had raped and murdered the schoolgirl.
Another prisoner who had overheard the statement had informed the Eheliyagoda Police following his release from prison.
Fresh investigations and another DNA test had confirmed that Premasiri Senanayake was the suspect behind the rape and murder of the 15-year-old schoolgirl.
The suspect who is a 39-year-old father of two admitted to the crime and revealed that he was 26 years old at the time of the incident. He has been arrested and has been remanded over the murder. (NewsWire)