The Vicarage Murders: The Story of Father Mathew Peiris
The priest that killed for his lover: A case that shook the clergy of Sri Lanka.
The crime of Father Mathew Peiris is one of riveting details, comprised of an account seemingly so common, yet so very meticulous. An ignominious account of Father Mathew Peiris, who engaged in an affair with his secretary Dalrene (Delrine) Ingram and caused the deaths of his wife and Ingram’s husband, this story of deception, lust, and faith encases the tragic tale of the Anglican Christian Fellowship of Colombo, Sri Lanka
A Priest of High Stature
From the genesis of Mathew Peiris’ time within priesthood, his credentials painted him as a reverent, divine individual. From being ordained by the Archbishop of Canterbury in England in the 1950s, bearing the responsibility of Vicar in Colombo’s Saint Paul’s Church, and holding close relations with none other than King George VI, Peiris’ origins within the Church planted the seeds for a religious future layered with potential.
Throughout his vocation, Peiris constructed a name for himself through his character and strong public charm. Described as a “charismatic” individual, Peiris drew in crowds like a moth to a flame with his confidence and charm. Most strikingly, however, was Peiris’ seeming proficiency and god-given talent in performing exorcisms. Due to his stigmata-specific markings on his body mirroring those of the crucified Jesus Christ- Peiris was worshipped by those around him, and many flocked to his aid in soothing personal issues. The intense devotion Peiris’ followers held contributed to his reputation, with individuals waiting weeks for his prayers and collapsing mid-service, causing an eruption of religious awe, eventually revealed to be results of cunning deception and falsification. Peiris also controlled his crowd through fear, stating that hellish consequences would arise to those who deserved such.
“I have met many confidence-tricksters in my life but never one like Mathew Peiris.” ~ Chandra Mohotti, Victim of Peiris’ Manipulation
The Seeds of the Crime are Planted
During the late 1970s, Russel and Dalrene Ingram, frequent members of the church and of Peiris’ services, had been plagued with unemployment. According to future accounts by the Ingrams’ daughter, Sharon Ingram, the family had lived with extreme poverty during this time, comprised with little food, money, and overall happiness. With themselves and three children to take care of, the Ingrams faced unimaginably difficult living conditions. That is, until Father Mathew Peiris entered the picture.
Peiris assisted Russel in finding employment at a Lake House, and hired Dalrene as his personal secretary. Soon, Peiris and Dalrene’s relationship grew warily stronger. Peiris began to spew divinations prophesizing his wife’s, Eunice, death in the near future. Similarly, Peiris claimed that Russel would quickly fall victim to pancreatic cancer. Not long after, Russel- who had previously been in very good health- began to experience deteriorating consciousness. As recounted by Sharon, Russel would fall unconscious, be taken to a hospital, become comatose, recover and return home, and repeat, growing worse time and time again until August 10, 1978, when Russel was unable to wake up from his coma, and eventually passed.
The Investigation of Russel Ingram’s Death
According to Dr. Mohan de Silva- who was an intern working on Russel Ingram’s case at the General Hospital- Peiris and Dalrene were frequent visitors. Dr. Mohan elucidates that Peiris presented a “controlling posture and hypnotic quality about him,” which generated the trust of hospital officials. During Russel’s hospital stay, Peiris and Dalrene routinely provided him with a liquid diet, which was added to his nasogastric tube.
Unbeknownst to officials, Peiris had been preparing meals laced with diabetes medication for Russel, a non-diabetic individual. Due to the drugs, his blood sugar levels dropped to dangerously low numbers. However, despite a post-mortem being performed, signs of insulinoma to suggest cancer or signs of foul play were unable to be detected, causing the case to be considered closed.
In spite of pleas from Russel’s family-who suspected Peiris-officials refused to consider foul play due to Peiris’ high status in society.
“Do you know who you’re talking about? This priest you’re making these claims about is known by everybody, and you’re a nobody.” ~ recount by Sharon Ingram
It would not be until Eunice’s death that the parallels between the two cases would come to light.
The Fate of Eunice Peiris
Roughly a year later, on March 19, 1979, Eunice Peiris had passed in the General Hospital nearly two months after she was admitted in a deep stupor. With factors such as relations to Mathew Peiris, abnormally low blood sugar levels, and irregular consciousness, officials began to grow suspicious of Father Peiris.
An investigation was launched, uncovering information not in Father Peiris’ favor. Apart from the similar symptoms shown by both Russel and Eunice as well as Peiris and Dalrene’s uncomfortable physical relationship, the testimonies of Dr. Dayasiri Fernando, Dr. P.A. P. Joseph and Dr. E. V. Peiris regarding blood sugar were utilized in the law reports for Peiris’ appeals. According to these testimonies, as Peiris was a diabetic himself, his knowledge about hypoglycemia and blood sugar levels would have allowed him to delve further into the study of hypoglycaemia and the human body. Additionally, it was uncovered that approximately between September 22, 1978 and December 11, 1978, Peiris had purchased 80 tablets of euglocon, a drug commonly prescribed for hyperglycemia. These pills had been slipped into Russel and Eunice’s foods, causing their blood sugar levels to decrease unnaturally. Furthermore, it was revealed that Peiris had withheld crucial information regarding Eunice’s health from her doctors.
The Conviction and Aftermath
Initially, in 1984, Father Mathew Peiris and Dalrene Ingram were sentenced with the death penalty for the double murder of Russel Ingram and Eunice Peiris. However, Dalrene was acquitted of all charges in 1988, while Peiris’ sentence was reduced to life in prison, and he was eventually released in 1997 under a general amnesty. A year later, 1998, Peiris passed at the age of 85.
The Vicarage Murders inspired the 2018 Sinhalese film, According to Matthew, directed by Chandran Ruthnam, starring Alston Koch and Jacqueline Fernandez. A sensational case, the crimes of Father Mathew Peiris prevail as a chilling incident even 43 years later.
