A 30-year-old man from Sri Lanka, Eshan Tharaka Koottage, who allegedly killed his wife at the Holiday Inn Express hotel at Katong, was charged in court earlier today (11 September) with her murder, according to The Straits Times.
He is charged with killing his wife, 32-year-old Diyawinnage Sewwandi Maduka Kumari, on Saturday (9 September) sometime between 10.45am and 4.42pm.
According to MustShareNews, Eshan and the deceased were purportedly tourists from Sri Lanka having their holiday here in Singapore.
The two had just arrived in Singapore when they got into an argument, during which Eshan then allegedly killed his wife with a knife.
He then changed out of his clothes and left the hotel room, heading to a nearby police station to turn himself in to the police.
Lianhe Zaobao reported that the alleged murder took place on the 9th floor of the hotel.
He had turned himself in at the Marine Parade Neighbourhood Police Centre and told police officers that he had killed his wife, and officers then went to his hotel room and found the deceased with a slash wound, lying motionless; she was subsequently pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics.
Eshan appeared in court earlier today via video link and conversed via a Sinhalese interpreter, and he was also unrepresented.
The prosecution requested for permission to bring him back to the crime scene to recover exhibits and also asked for him to be remanded for a week.
In court, Eshan also requested to engage a lawyer via the Sri Lankan High Commission, who have been informed of the case. However, Eshan is not allowed to communicate with anyone at the moment because investigations into the murder are currently ongoing.
He is expected to return to court on 18 September and if convicted of murder, he faces the mandatory death penalty.
Recap
A 30-year-old man was apprehended by the police on Saturday for the alleged murder of his 32-year-old wife at a hotel along Katong, according to The Straits Times.
The harrowing saga began on a seemingly ordinary Saturday evening around 5.05 pm when the man walked into the Marine Parade Neighbourhood Police Centre. He confessed to the officers that he had taken the life of his wife at a hotel located in East Coast Road.
While the police did not initially disclose the name of the hotel, The Straits Times reported that the grim incident occurred at the Holiday Inn Express Singapore Katong.
Upon receiving the alarming confession, officers swiftly made their way to the hotel room mentioned by the suspect, where they found the lifeless body of the woman, bearing a slash wound, lying motionless.
She was subsequently pronounced dead at the scene.
The man, who had voluntarily turned himself in, was promptly arrested at the Marine Parade Neighbourhood Police Centre. A knife believed to be the murder weapon was discovered in the hotel room and seized as well.
The police have announced that the suspect will be charged with murder, and he is set to appear in court on Monday. In Singapore, individuals convicted of murder can face severe penalties, including the death penalty or life imprisonment coupled with caning.