මරුසිරාගේ ජීවිත කතාව- Life history of Marusira

Dedduwa Jayathungalage "D.J." Siripala (Sinhala: දෙද්දුවා ජයතුංගලාගේ සිරිපාල; 1948 – 7 August 1975), better known as Maru Sira, was a Sri Lankan criminal who was executed amongst much controversy. Sira achieved fame through several daring escapes. After escaping for a third time, Sira was sentenced to death in absentia for the killing of a man in March 1974. He was subsequently captured and sent to the Bogambara Prison in Colombo, to await his execution on August 5, 1975. On the night before the execution prison guards gave Sira a high dose of Largactil to prevent an escape attempt. The overdose caused Sira to collapse into a state of unconsciousness from which he never recovered. He was carried to the scaffold on a stretcher and laid across the trapdoor. The noose was then placed around his neck and the trapdoor was opened. Due to the short fall (2 ft. 2 in.) caused by his slumped position Sira died from slow strangulation. If he had been standing he would have died instantly from a cervical fracture.