Lawyer N. Pathmanabhan, 41, and three farm workers - T. Thilaiyalagan,19, R. Matan, 20 and R. Kathavarayan, 30 - were charged this morning under Section 302 of the Penal Code for jointly murdering, with intent, 47-year-old Sosilawati, her driver Kamaruddin Shamsudin, 44, her lawyer Ahmad Kamil Abdul Karim, 32, and 38-year-old CIMB Kampung Baru bank officer Noorhisham Mohammad, who was also Sosilawati's financial advisor.
The four were charged with committing the offence on Aug 30 between 8.30pm to 9.45pm at Lot 2001, Jalan Tanjung Layang, Tanjung Sepat, Banting, Kuala Langat.
When the charge was read out, the four accused remained calm, impassive even, and merely nodded when asked if they understood the charge.
The charge carries the death penalty upon conviction. No plea was recorded.
Pathmanabhan was represented by counsels Ravi Nekoo, Pushpa Ratnam, Amir Hamzah Arshad and Ng See Teong while the other three accused were unrepresented, as Amir Hamzah told the court their families had not been informed of their detention.
This was refuted by Deputy Public Prosecutor Saiful Edris Zainuddin, who said as far as he knew, the families have been informed.
Amir Hamzah said: "I would also request for the prosecution team to inform the investigating officer to inform the families of the three other suspects about their charge today."
Besides Saiful Edris, the prosecution team also comprises DPPs Ishak Mohd Yusoff and Idham Abd Ghani.
Magistrate Hurman Hussain set Dec 16 for the next mention to await the report from the Department of Chemistry.
The courtroom was packed with reporters and onlookers, as the gruesome case had generated national interest.
It was learnt no family members of any of the suspects were in court this morning.
Sosilawati was reported missing last Aug 30 after reportedly going to Banting for a land deal. The founder of Nouvelle Visages cosmetics and ex-wife of rocker Nash, had told one of her daughters that she was going to Banting for three days, and was said to be carrying a large amount of cash.
It was reported she was last seen buying Raya cookies at a shop in Kampung Sungai Lan, Banting on Sept 2.
During investigations, police said the victims were bludgeoned to death, set ablaze and had their ashes, including small bone fragments, scattered in a river near Ladang Gadong in Tanjong Sepat, near Banting.
The main lawyer accused and his brother, also a lawyer, were apparently acting as brokers for Sosilawati in the land purchase in Penang worth millions of ringgit.
Six people, including two women and farmhands, have been arrested together with the lawyer and his brother in connection with the killings.
The two lawyer brothers were also reportedly being investigated for the disappearances and murders of several individuals - Indian businessman A.K. Muthuraja, 34, Sungai Petani businessman Mohd Shafik Abdullah, 37 and his friend S. Thevaraj, 28, businessman S. Anpalagan, 43, and housewife T. Selvi, 44.
It was further reported that several police reports had been lodged against the two lawyer brothers since 2005 over allegations of fraud in land transactions and criminal breach of trust, which allegedly resulted in losses amounting to RM7.1 million to the alleged victims.
Meanwhile, the remand order for the second lawyer brother ends on Oct 15, together with four others.
