Police lay murder charge after body found in Niagara Falls park last yearFriday, May 3, 2013 10:20:00 EDT PM
Niagara police have arrested a Toronto-area man in connection with the murder of a 21-year-old man whose body was found at King's Bridge Park in Chippawa more than a year ago.
On April 21, 2012, a man walking in the park came across the body of Sathiyaraj Mahendran on the shoreline of the Welland River.
The Toronto man had been reported missing to Toronto Police earlier that day.
Police have never released a cause of death.On Thursday, homicide detectives with the Niagara Regional Police
arrested 23-year-old Dinesh Suntharalingam at his home in Markham.He was charged with second-degree murder and appeared in bail court in St. Catharines Friday morning.
In court, Suntharalingam wore a black T-shirt, and appeared to be unshaven.
For the most part, he stared straight ahead during his appearance and showed little expression.
He was remanded in custody until his next court appearance May 24.
Information revealed during the court appearance cannot be published due to a
court ban.Several family members were present, including his parents and a brother.
His lawyer Graham Zoppi from Toronto told Sun Media his client will plead not guilty to the charge.
"And I anticipate in the long run that he will be found not guilty of the charge," Zoppi said.
NRP Det. Sgt. Jamie Munro said Friday that the suspect and the victim knew each other and lived relatively close to each other.
Police say their investigation is ongoing and further arrests are anticipated.
"Police will not be commenting on details regarding the ongoing investigation, other than the fact that others are being sought in relation to the murder as are persons who have obstructed police throughout the investigation," Munro said.
The park was closed to the public for a number of days in April 2012 as members of the Niagara Regional Police forensic unit scoured the area for clues.
Anyone with information regarding the incident is asked to contact the NRP homicide unit at 905-688-4111 ext. 4200 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
nfr.citydesk@sunmedia.cahttp://www.wellandtribune.ca/2013/05/03/man-charged-in-chippawa-murder