Baby and grandmother murder suspect appears in court

10:03 AM, Nov 28, 2012   |    comments
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MARYCLAIRE DALE, Associated Press

BRIDGEPORT, Pa. (AP) - A man charged with killing his neighbors' baby and the girl's grandmother in a botched kidnapping is in court near Philadelphia awaiting his preliminary hearing.

Authorities say 26-year-old Raghunandan Yandamuri hoped to get $50,000 ransom from the infant's parents, both of them software engineers.

Prosecutors say the grandmother, 61-year-old Satyavathi Venna, let the suspect in while the parents were at work on Oct. 22.

They say Yandamuri fatally stabbed the woman during a struggle and suffocated the baby. According to a police affidavit, he later led investigators to the body of the missing 10-month-old, Saanvi Venna, in a basement fitness center.

Yandamuri has not yet entered a plea.

About a half-dozen Venna family members are also in court.

(Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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