Why Was Nagaenthran Dharmalingam Killed?
Nagaenthran was charged with capital drug trafficking after his detention and the discovery of more than 15 grams of heroin, which carries the death penalty if convicted.
On November 22, 2010, Nagaenthran was found guilty of drug trafficking and sentenced to death by hanging.
Where Did Nagaenthran Dharmalingam Die?
Nagaenthran Dharmalingam was executed in Singapore’s Changi prison.
Background
Nagaenthran a/l K. Dharmalingam, a Malaysian Indian, was convicted of trafficking 42.72 grams of heroin in April 2009, when he entered Singapore from Malaysia with a bundle of heroin strapped to his thigh at the Woodlands Checkpoint.
Nagaenthran admitted to committing the act but claimed in comments that he was forced to do so by a mastermind who beat him and threatened to kill his girlfriend.
Before subsequently denying any knowledge of the contents of his package, he said he did so to collect money to pay off his debts.
In November 2010, Nagaenthran was condemned to death by hanging.
His execution was postponed, however, due to a moratorium on all hangings in Singapore pending judicial changes to Singapore’s mandatory death penalty laws, which considered and approved the imposition of life imprisonment with or without caning for drug traffickers who were couriers or suffering from mental illnesses.
Despite Nagaenthran’s several appeals, he was found ineligible for re-sentencing since he was not significantly mentally or intellectually impaired, despite his low IQ of 69.
Nagaenthran also lost his clemency petition, and after 11 years on death row, he was due to be hanged on November 10, 2021.
Nagaenthran’s execution was postponed for five months, until his appeal was dismissed on March 29, 2022, due to a last-minute appeal and a COVID-19 infection. Nagaenthran was then hung on April 27, 2022, at Changi Prison, at the age of 33.
