By Rich Bockmann
An estranged husband who stabbed his wife to death in their Richmond Hill home last summer and tried to cover up his bloody crime was sentenced to 18 years in prison earlier this week, the borough’s district attorney said.
Ganesh Seelall pleaded guilty in April to killing his wife of about six years, Samantha Seelall, inside their home near 89th Avenue and 117th Street last August. The couple had a young daughter together and Ganesh, 40, has a teenage daughter from a previous marriage.
“Today’s sentencing will hopefully bring some comfort and closure to the relatives and friends of the victim, whose brutal death at the hands of the defendant has left them devastated, and serve as a measure of justice for this innocent victim,” District Attorney Richard Brown said.
Things had apparently been rocky between the couple prior to that tragic day last summer, as Samantha, 29, had taken out an order of protection against Ganesh in January 2012.
A few months later in August, Ganesh, who worked as a nurse’s aide, lashed out violently and killed Samantha inside their home, the DA said.
Brown said that sometime between 7:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m Aug. 16, 2012, Ganesh stabbed Samantha several times in her chest and the left side of her head.
When police officers arrived, they found her naked body underneath the couple’s bed, with a black plastic bag duct taped around her head and rags tied to both of her wrists, Brown said.
Ganesh was arrested and earlier this year pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter.
Queens Supreme Court Justice Dorothy Chin-Brand sentenced him to 18 years behind bars Monday.
Reach reporter Rich Bockmann by e-mail at rbockmann@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4574.
