Teenage fashion designer's slaying: Suspect to be produced in court today

by Sarath Malalasekera

A teenager of an international school who is suspected of the slaying of an ex-class mate, here on holiday from the US, where she was studying fashion designing, is to be produced in court today, IGP Chandra Fernado told the Daily News.

Yvonne Johansson, the daughter of a Swedish father and Sri Lankan mother, was allegedly killed at the Royal Park condominium in the early hours of Friday.

The victim's body was found on the 19th floor. According to detectives, she is reported to have left the Royal Park around 8.30 on Thursday night with her younger sister and a male friend for a party at a five star hotel in Colombo. The party was hosted by the past pupils of the international school of which Yvonne had been a student.

Her sister and the male friend had left around 11 pm. But Yvonne had reportedly stayed on and it was nearly 3 am on Friday when she returned to her Royal Park apartment. Her body was found on the stairway of the 19th floor with her face disfigured.

The victim's father works for a private firm in Colombo.

She had been studying fashion design in the US and returned to Sri Lanka during her summer vacation.

The Criminal Investigations Department which took over the investigations on the direction of IGP Chandra Fernando and DIG CID Lionel Gunathilaka said they have obtained the fingerprints of the suspect and were awaiting the forensic report.