British Columbia

Life in prison for Surrey, B.C., man who murdered partner

Tejwant Danjou, 71, struck and killed 56-year-old Rama Guaravarapu with a wine bottle while vacationing in West Kelowna in 2018.

Rama Gauravarapu, 56, was murdered by her common-law partner in 2018

Rama Gauravarapu, 56, was found dead in a West Kelowna hotel room in 2018. (submitted by Poornima Gauravarapu)

A Surrey, B.C., man has been sentenced to life in prison without parole for 12 years in the death of his common-law partner.

Tejwant Danjou, 71, was found guilty of second-degree murder in the death of Rama Gauravarapu, 56, earlier this year

Danjou killed Gauravarapu in a hotel room in West Kelowna on July 22, 2018, by striking her with a wine bottle. The judgment noted her cause of her death as blunt force trauma, but said she also had 52 areas of injury including defensive wounds on her arms and hands, and a 20-centimetre cut to her neck.

Justice Allison Beames of the B.C. Supreme Court said when delivering her verdict that "there is abundant evidence that shows Mr. Danjou acted with purpose and foresight."

Danjou will be 83 when he becomes eligible for parole in 2032. 

With files from Tom Popyk