Man Who Stabbed & Murdered His Housemate to Go on Trial from 16 Feb

What would you do if you suspected that your housemate was overcharging you for rent?

Most of us would likely, you know, ask them, or find some other accommodation.

One man, however, decided to take a slightly more sociopathic approach: stabbing his housemate in the chest. 

An Argument Over Money

The 2017 murder case involved Mohammad Rosli Abdul Rahim, 51, and 35-year-old Mohammad Roslan Zaini.

Before they met each other, Rosli was homeless and slept at void decks in Bukit Batok. He later slept outside his acquaintance’s unit at Block 165A, Teck Whye Crescent.

When he was living in that area, Roslan approached him and suggested that they co-rent his flat together.

They registered their names with the Housing and Development Board as co-tenants and agreed to split the monthly rent.

However, Rosli began to suspect that Roslan was overcharging him for the rent. This anger eventually culminated in a brutal attack on his housemate.

On 16 Aug, 2017 at about 1am, Roslan and Rosli watched a movie with three other people, including a friend of Roslan’s.

One of them left at around 2am.

Two hours later, Roslan and Rosli began arguing over money. Angered by Roslan’s comments, Rosli took a knife from the kitchen and stabbed his housemate in the chest.

The stab was so forceful that it penetrated Roslan’s heart and caused acute internal bleeding within his chest.

That wasn’t the end of it, however, as Rosli stabbed him twice more in the forearm and thigh, leaving him with wounds at least 11cm deep.

The two witnesses in the flat fled the apartment and went to their sister’s unit nearby, telling her to call the police.

Roslan attempted to flee as well, but after struggling down four flights of stairs, he collapsed on a grass patch.

A bus driver on the way to work saw Roslan and called the police.

The 35-year-old was pronounced dead at the scene.

Suspect Tried to Escape

Instead of pursuing him, Rosli returned to his flat and washed the bloody knife that he had used in the attack.

He also cleaned the blood stains on the floor with a piece of cloth.

He then gathered his belongings, which included some drugs, and tried to escape using a separate flight of stairs away from the lift lobby, so he wouldn’t be seen by police officers.

But he was later arrested at the void deck of Block 6, Teck Whye Avenue.

On Trial for Murder

The 51-year-old is now on trial for murder, but he insists he did not intend to kill his housemate.

“I wanted to use the knife to hurt (the deceased) as I was angry with him for cursing my mother. I did not have the intention to kill him”, he said during investigations.

“I lost my patience reasoning the matters with him. I only wanted to injure him to teach him a lesson. I have no intention to kill him”.

Even so, if Rosli is convicted of murder, he faces life imprisonment and can even be put to death.

Featured Image: Google Maps