Death of 'super lady' shocks friends

Lankan woman's husband charged with first-degree murder in case:

A husband of a Sri Lankan woman in Canada has been formally charged with first-degree murder in her death.

Sivapragasam Ratnanesan, 51, appeared in Surrey Provincial Court on Thursday to face the charge in connection with the death of Subalini Ratnanesan, 50, inside the couple's home late Tuesday.

Police are not releasing the cause of death or other details about the case as it is now before the Courts.

He was in custody last night, awaiting charges in her slaying.

"He has been formally arrested," Sgt. Roger Morrow said. "This looks like a very isolated incident isolated to the home."

Morrow would not comment on how Subi Ratnanesan died or on the note a friend found Tuesday night on the door of the family's cream-and-green house in Fleetwood.

However, another family friend told The Province the friend who found the note called police, who arrived at about 11:30 p.m.

The couple's teenage daughter was away for the evening. Their other daughter is in Alberta attending university. Friends were shocked by the murder.

"She's a super lady," said Tuan Meedin, blinking back tears as he peered over the yellow police tape surrounding the house. "I am very sorry to hear."

Meedin said he had known Subi Ratnanesan for about 20 years, since they left Sri Lanka.

"From that day, we were good friends," he said, adding Ratnanesan never gave any sign there was trouble with her husband, whom she had met in Canada.

Friend Radha Sylva last saw Ratnanesan when she came into her optical store on Monday to get her glasses repaired.

"I still have her frames here," Sylva said. "I'm sitting here looking at them and crying. They're still here, but she's gone." Sylva said Ratnanesan was outgoing and generous.

"I don't know if there's something we all didn't see," she said.

Ratnanesan was a familiar face in the Sri Lankan community and on signboards across Surrey. She had been a realtor with Homelife-Benchmark for about three years. At one time, she had worked part time as a flower buyer at an early-morning auction until she could afford to devote all her time to house sales.

Manager Stuart Loutet said she was in the top 20 of his 65 realtors.

"She was bubbly. She was always talking on the phone, talking to clients," Loutet said. But Loutet said there were some indications of marital discord when her husband got his real-estate licence a few months ago and wanted to work for HomeLife.

Loutet said Subi Ratnanesan told him she didn't want her husband working with her because she valued her independence.

"We knew things weren't perfect," said Loutet.

Sivapragasam Ratnanesan began selling for Century 21-Apex in Delta, while continuing to work in shipping at the airport.

Manager Jaspir Sandhu said the Century 21 office was "shaken up" by the news.

"I met him three or four times. There was no indication. Nothing," Sandhu said.

A friend from the Surrey Pentacostal church the couple sometimes attended said Sivapragasam Ratnanesan was quiet.

"I don't know what went wrong," he said.

At the Ratnanesan home in the 15400-block 91A Avenue, forensic investigators in plastic suits scoured the inside and outside of the house, pausing at the front door to take photos.

Neighbour Nadene Imhof said she woke to the sound of helicopters and police cars and was "shocked" to discover her neighbour was dead.

"She was a friendly, outgoing person, always willing to pass the time of day with you. There was no indication something was wrong."

Lynn Brooks said she heard nothing out of the ordinary on Tuesday evening.

"They had nice kids. This is going to be really hard for them," she said.

- The Vancouver Province