In an incident that has taken over the headlines in both Singapore and Malaysia over the last weeks, a 25-year-old Malaysian man, Xie Zhiyu, was killed in a fatal stabbing, that resulted in 2 Singaporean men and a Malaysian woman being arrested in connection to the murder.
All three of them were caught after crashing the Singapore-registered Audi that they were in, into the fence of the Johor Royal Palace and hitting two other vehicles along the way.
They were also found to have tested positive for the consumption of methamphetamine.
Timeline of events (so far)
The whole incident kicked off in the wee hours outside a KTV nightclub on 27 October, in Taman Sentosa.
The victim left the nightclub at about 3am that morning, and witnesses reported seeing him being chased by a man dressed in black, before stabbing him several times on his chest, abdomen, ribs, shoulders, back, hand and face, according to China Press.
The victim then managed to escape and found himself at a shop nearby, sitting himself down on a chair along the corridor at about 3.11am, according to footage captured on CCTV cameras.
He remained conscious and alive for a few moment, before he eventually slumped over and collapsed onto the ground.
@k4karak #JbMurder #JB ♬ original sound – BeHappy 开心
Following that, the police began their manhunt for the suspects after being alerted to a fight that had broken out, involving sharp weapons at about 3.41am.
At the same time, three suspects were found by the police inside a car along Jalan Tanjung Puteri at about 5.28am when police tried to conduct checks on the vehicle.
The driver then sped off and fled from the officers along Jalan Tun Dr Ismail, before losing control of the vehicle and crashing.
The car also hit two other vehicles and eventually ended up crashing into the Johor Royal Palace, or the Istana Besar.
The three occupants inside the car; a 26-year-old Singaporean man, Fu Yiming; a 29-year-old Singaporean man, Pan Xuanyao and a 33-year-old Malaysian woman Yang Yiwen.
They were subsequently found to have tested positive for consuming methamphetamine.
The police then later pieced together information and connected them with the murder of the 25-year-old Malaysian man, Xie Zhiyu, at the nightclub.
Could possibly get death sentence
The three suspects were then brought to court on 28 October.
29-year-old Singaporean Pan Xuanyao, was charged with being the driver of the Audi that crashed into the Johor Palace and driving while under drug use.
He was offered an RM12,000 bail release for his charges and required two guarantors in Malaysia, as well as being required to report to the police once a month before his next court hearing.
It was reported that he is allowed to get his Singapore passport back.
@k4karak #JbMurder #JB ♬ original sound – BeHappy 开心
The third suspect, 33-year-old Malaysian woman Yang Yiwen, was also reportedly allowed a verbal bail release as well.
On 31 October, the primary murder suspect, 26-year-old Singaporean Fu Yiming, was charged with murder and drug consumption, where he denied his drug charge despite being found to have tested positive.
It was reported that he faced the charges with a sense of defiance, raising eyebrows in the courtroom.
The gravity of the situation and the potential consequences did not seem to deter his audacious demeanor, as he shouted at the media outside the courtroom to “film me!” while asking them “you never cover a murder case before is it?”
He was also filmed telling a friend to ask for help from someone called “Rayner” to “settle” all his problems quickly, as he was being escorted away from the courtroom by the police.
@k4karak #JBMurder #JB ♬ original sound – BeHappy 开心
Funeral
The funeral proceedings for the victim commenced at the same time as the suspects faced legal action on 28 October, Xie’s family and friends bid him farewell at his funeral.
He was subsequently cremated at the Nirvana Kulai Memorial Park, as his father told the media that his son died a wrongful death, and that he didn’t recognise the Singaporean suspects.
According to Sin Chew Daily, Xie worked as an electrician at a university in Skudai, Johor. Those who knew him described him as a filial son who never found himself in trouble or stayed out late.
Zhiyu’s parents shared their heartfelt sentiments during his wake, painting a picture of a son who was not only responsible but also deeply caring.
He was the type of person who would go home promptly after his work shift and, at most, enjoy tea with friends. Such responsible behavior led his parents to have absolute faith in his safety and well-being.
What remains a point of confusion for the grieving family is Zhiyu’s reluctance to confide in them about any problems he might have been facing.
On the night of the incident, Zhiyu left his home without disclosing his destination to his parents. This departure raised alarm bells when the family received a call from one of Zhiyu’s friends around 3 a.m.
It was then that they learned of the grim situation. Unfortunately, by the time they arrived at the scene, it was too late.
The father expressed that he does not recognize the Singaporean suspects, and he’s also not sure if his son had a girlfriend at the time or not.
Malaysian woman comes into the picture
In the latest development, the 33-year-old female Malaysian suspect, Yang Yiwen has since been categorised as a tainted witness, with the police investigating the murder being caused by jealousy between Fu and the deceased, centred around her.
According to numerous reports and online accounts from people who are allegedly known to the suspects, Fu was in an on-and-off relationship with Yang that resulted in the murder of Xie.
Yang was purportedly in a relationship with the murder suspect, 26-year-old Fu Yiming, and they allegedly got into an argument and broke up.
She then declared that she was single and went to the nightclub to seek solace and have fun.
The deceased, Xie, met the girl and they soon slept together, after she allegedly told him that she was single and was not seeing anyone.
Weeks later, Yang got back together with her ex-boyfriend, the murder suspect Fu, and she allegedly claimed that Xie had molested her.
She then allegedly demanded a compensation of RM5,000 from Xie as well as letting them slap him 3 times. Fu then threatened the deceased if he didn’t agree to their terms.
Fu also allegedly said that he was a wanted man in Singapore and was not afraid to “add a few more charges” to his name.
The deceased then asked them to give him one day to prepare himself, purportedly agreeing to their demands.
However, when the deceased went to pick up his car outside a KTV nightclub later that night; Fu, who had purportedly been on drugs, then confronted him and stabbed him repeatedly with the knife, causing the now-infamous headline-grabbing murder case.
At the time of writing, the murder case is still being dealt with in the Malaysian courts and is still ongoing.
Images source: Instagram, Facebook and China Press.