An Indian-origin tech CEO, Harshvardhan Kikkeri was found dead alongside his wife and sone at their Newcastle, Washington home. The incident, which occurred on April 24, has been classified as a murder-suicide by authorities. According to a report by Renton Reporter, the victims Harshavardhana S Kikkeri, 57, his wife Shwetha Panyam, 44, and their 14-year-old son have been living in the US for number of years. The police received a call from 911 after which they discovered the bodies. Shwetha and Dhruva’s deaths were ruled homicides, while Kikkeri’s was determined to be a suicide. The couple’s younger son, aged 7, survived as he was not at home during the incident.
Who is Harshavardhana Kikkeri?
Originally from Mysuru, Harshvardhan Kikkeri was the CEO of HoloWorld, which is a roboticscompany which he co-founded along with this wife in 2017. He was known for his innovation in robotics and the creation of HoloSuit, an AI-enabled motion capture suit. Kikkeri held 44 international patents and had received accolades such as the Gold Star from Microsoft and the Excellence Award from Infosys.
Kikkeri spent 8 years at Microsoft as a robotics software engineer. In addition, he worked with Codecs & DSP as a software design engineer. His career began in 2002 when he joined Infosys as a software engineer.
Kikkeri studied Bachelor of Engineering from University of Mysore in 2004. After this he studied Master of Science from Syracuse University, USA.
Harshavardhana Kikkeri shoots family dead in US, then kills self
Mysuru-born entrepreneur Harshavardhana Kikkeri, 57, is alleged to have fatally shot his wife Shwetha, 41, and their 14-year-old son at their residence in Newcastle, near Washington, US, before taking his own life on April 24. Reports indicate their younger son survived as he was not home at the time.
News of the tragic incident was confirmed by a family friend in Mysuru, who also reported that Harshavardhana’s mother, Girija, a resident of Mysuru, has left for the United States. The friend further noted that his elder brother, Chethan, who had also been living in the US, had recently made a permanent return to Mysuru. Harshavardhana’s father, Kikkeri Narayana, was a respected linguist and a progressive activist.
