44-Year-Old Man Charged with Murdering 79-Year-Old Woman at Sengkang Flat

Lim Yuen Li, 44, was charged on 3 Jun with murdering 79-year-old Ms Wang How Khiew at Block 465B Fernvale Road in Sengkang. Ms Wang is believed to be his mother.

The murder allegedly occurred between 2am and 10:30am on 1 Jun. Police received a call for assistance at 11:48am that day.

Officers found Ms Wang lying motionless inside the flat. Singapore Civil Defence Force paramedics pronounced her dead at the scene.

Lim was arrested in the same flat. According to The Straits Times, Lim and Ms Wang were living together.

Preliminary investigations showed both parties knew each other.

Funeral Director Call and Police Investigation Reveals Bloodstains

According to Lianhe Zaobao, a man identifying himself as “Mr Lin” called funeral director Mr Zheng Haichuan on the morning of 1 Jun. He said his mother had died after falling and bleeding.

Mr Lin requested a doctor to come to his flat to certify the death. Mr Zheng advised him to call an ambulance instead, as he could not handle cases involving injured deceased persons.

Mr Zheng waited for Mr Lin to call back about funeral arrangements. At about 2pm, police called Mr Zheng instead. They asked whether the man had sounded sad and if there was anything abnormal about his voice.

Mr Zheng told police that Mr Lin had sounded calm. He was later unable to contact Mr Lin.

The man had called for an ambulance. Medics who arrived felt something was wrong and contacted the police.

Police found bloodstains throughout the flat when they arrived. They arrested Mr Lin at the scene.

Lianhe Zaobao reporters visited the unit on 2 Jun. An eyewitness told them many police officers had been at the scene the previous day. A man covered in blood had also been in the unit.

Neighbours Report Frequent Arguments and Banging Sounds Before Death

Ms Chen Qiuyue, a 56-year-old hairdresser living next door, said the mother and son had moved in just over a month ago. Though the son appeared quiet, they would quarrel often with arguments frequently heard.

The night before Ms Wang was found dead, Ms Chen heard loud banging noises from the flat. The sounds continued until early morning and became louder. She did not think much of them at the time.

Another neighbour living downstairs heard banging noises and sounds of tables being moved around at about 11pm. The sounds occurred every ten minutes and lasted for about 30 minutes.

On 3 Jun, Lim was ordered to be remanded for psychiatric assessment at the Changi Prison Complex Medical Centre. His case will be mentioned again in court on 24 Jun.

Before the hearing ended, he asked the court if he could attend the funeral of the “deceased” without referring to Ms Wang as his mother. He also asked if he could use his mobile phone to make calls and wanted to apply for a state lawyer.

A police prosecutor said authorities would inform the investigating officer about these requests.

Offenders convicted of murder face the death penalty under Section 302(1) of the Penal Code 1871.

This marks the second case in 2025 where a man has been charged with killing a family member. On 13 Mar, Abdul Rani Md Ariffin, 58, was charged with murdering his younger brother, Mr Abdul Rahman Mohamad Ariffin, 57, at about 4am on 11 Mar at Block 187 Boon Lay Avenue.

Police investigations are ongoing.