The murder case trial which involves a foreign domestic helper and her employers took to the headlines recently.
Ms Daryati, an Indonesian national, is accused of murdering her 59-year-old employer, leaving almost 100 knife wounds on her body on 7 June 2016.
Yesterday (8 October), Ms Daryati said in court that she couldn’t control her hands, “which kept stabbing.”
She faces one count of murder by slashing and stabbing Madam Seow Kim Choo multiple times.
A second charge of attempting to murder Madam Seow’s husband, Mr Ong Thiam Soon, was stood down for the time being.
Ms Daryati mentioned that she did not have the intentions to kill her employer.
She had only wanted to threaten Madam Seow, slashing her face until she could get the keys to a safe where her passport was kept.
Originally Convicted of Murder Charge But Was Later Set Aside
Ms Daryati was originally convicted of the murder charge, but later had the conviction set aside in April 2020 after she chose to pursue the defence of diminished responsibility, and the case went back to trial.
For a defence of diminished responsibility to stand, the accused must be suffering from a specific abnormality of mind that substantially impaired her mental responsibility for causing the death.
A psychiatric report from the Institute of Mental Health found that Ms Daryati had been suffering from adjustment disorder in the two weeks leading up to the murder.
According to medlineplus.gov, adjustment disorder is a group of symptoms, such as stress, feeling sad or hopeless, and physical symptoms that can occur after you go through a stressful life event
During the hearing on October 8, Ms Daryati repeatedly maintained through an interpreter that she did not intend to kill her employer in the Telok Kurau house four years ago.
She said she was in a “very angry state” and could not control her hands.
Daryati mentioned that she had wanted only to retrieve her passport, which was in a locked safe only her employers had the keys to.
Ms Daryati wanted to retreive her passport so that she can fly back home to Indonesia.
However, the prosecutor pointed out that Ms Daryati had said in her police statement that she would kill Madam Seow if she did not return the passport.
Ms Daryati agreed with the prosecutor that she targeted Madam Seow instead of Mr Ong as it would be easier to overpower her.
Deputy Public Prosecutor, Mr Wong Kok Weng, said during the hearing, “Because of your [Ms Daryati] selfish intention to take your passport and take monies from your Madam, you stabbed her so viciously on her face, her neck, so many times that she bled to death.”
To this, Ms Daryati repeated that she just wanted to get her passport initially, but could not control her anger or “control my hands to stab Madam”.
The trial continues.
So, What happened?
In 2016, Ms Daryati was working for Madam Seow and Mr Ong as a domestic helper in their Telok Kurau home.
The family has another domestic helper, Ms Don Hayati, as well.
Ms Daryati said her employers treated her well and gave her sufficient food and rest.
Two months into her job, the murder happened.
Ms Daryati was homesick and longing for her lover in Hong Kong. She wanted to retrieve her passport from her employers to fly back to Indonesia.
On 12 May 2016, Ms Daryati allegedly wrote this in her diary: “I must carry out this plan quickly. I have to be brave even though life is at stake. I am ready to face all risks/consequences, whatever the risk, I must be ready to accept it. I hope that this plan succeed (sic) and run smoothly. My employer’s family is my target. DEATH!!!”
Roped in the Help of Another Domestic Helper in the House
She roped in the help of Ms Don Hayati and told her about the plan to get both of their passports in the locked safe.
However, Ms Daryati but did not tell Ms Don Hayati when she planned to carry out the plan, and that she intended to threaten Madam Seow with a knife.
Before carrying out her alleged plan on 7 June 2016, Ms Daryati hid weapons around the house, such as a short knife in a basket under the sink of the toilet in the master bedroom.
She told Ms Don Hayati that she would give the code word “jaga bawah”, which means “watch below”, to kick-start the plan.
Ms Don Hayati then distracted Mr Ong and turned off the closed-circuit television cameras and electricity supply in the house.
Ms Don Hayati then confronted Madam Seow in her bedroom.
Now, remember: Ms Don Hayati thought they were just going to ask Madam Seow for their passports.
Madam Seow was alone in her bedroom at that point in time.
While passing her the ironed pants in the walk-in wardrobe, Ms Daryati suddenly took out a knife from her own pants.
Ms Daryati demanded Madam Seow to return her passport to her, but Madam Seow shouted instead.
Ms Daryati then dragged her into the toilet and closed the door, before slashing and stabbing her neck, head and face repeatedly until Madam Seow collapsed on the floor.
Hearing the commotion, Mr Ong went to the master bedroom and called for his wife. When he didn’t hear any reply, he used a screwdriver to open the toilet door, which Ms Daryati had locked.
Ms Daryati is said to have attacked Mr Ong with a knife once the door was open.
Mr Ong was stabbed in the neck.
Mr Ong then restrained Ms Daryati and took her out of the toilet, while his daughter-in-law called for an ambulance.
The paramedics arrived and found Madam Seow in the toilet, which was described as “a bloodied mess.”.
Madam Seow was pronounced dead at 9.03pm.
An autopsy report found at least 75 stab and incised wounds on Madam Seow’s face, scalp and neck, and 19 incised and stab wounds on her left arm.
The cause of death was found to be multiple incised and stab wounds to the head and neck, which resulted in massive bleeding.
If convicted of murder, Ms Daryati could be sentenced to death or life imprisonment.
The prosecution confirmed earlier that they would not ask for a death sentence if Daryati stood by an agreed statement of facts.
Here’s a simplified summary of the South Korea martial law that even a 5-year-old would understand:
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