It has been 28 days—nearly a full month—since the tragic murders of Ashton Yap and Ethan Yap in the 2-metre canal near the Greenridge Crescent Playground at Bukit Timah.
Between then and now, investigations into the twin boys’ demise are still ongoing.
Given all the time that has transpired, many details can now be stated objectively:
Father Accused of Murdering Both Sons
Xavier Yap Jung Houn, the father of the two 11-year-old boys, was first charged with only the murder of Ethan Tap E Chern during the court hearing on 24 January.
According to case details, the homicide had occurred at the covered canal between the playground and the forested area on 21 January, between 4:23pm and 6:18pm.
As of this Friday (18 Feb), the 48-year-old man has been further accused of killing his other son, Ashton Yap Kai Shern, on the same day.
It has also been confirmed that Xavier Yap was indeed the caller that alerted the police to his boys’ death at 6:20pm that evening.
The twin boys were said to have special needs, namely Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and autism.
When the police and paramedics arrived at 6:40pm, they pronounced the boys dead at the scene, before proceeding to cordon off the entire area for investigations.
Timeline of Xavier Yap’s Remand
Ever since Xavier Yap was arrested on the evening of 22 January after “round the clock” investigations conducted by police officers, he has been in police custody since his capital offence is a non-bailable charge.
He was brought to court two days after the alleged killing, before the case was remanded for a week so that the accused could be brought back to the crime scene for further investigation and collection of additional evidence.
On 27 Jan, around 3pm, Xavier Yap was seen masked, wearing a red shirt and black pants, with cuffs around his wrists and ankles, as he was escorted out of a vehicle by five policemen to go back to the crime scene.
He had entered the canal with the black boots provided by the police and walked along the stretch of the canal and the surrounding area for approximately 40 minutes before he was brought back into the police vehicle.
Even after his departure, the police continued to comb the area, placing arrow markers in the canal, along the steps, and near the exercise machine area near Bukit Timah playground.
It was only later that evening that the yellow tape was officially removed, and most of the police activity around the site of tragedy ceased.
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The next court hearing was then brought forward by two days, happening on 29 Jan instead of 31 Jan, wherein the judge granted the persecutors more time so that Xavier Yap could undergo psychiatric observation.
This Friday (18 Feb), a police prosecutor told the court that the investigations weren’t complete yet, since they were waiting for Yap’s medical report which concerns the injuries he had sustained, and a Health Sciences Authority report.
Despite media inquiries into the vague statement regarding his injuries and mental condition, no further details were given.
However, it should be noted that Yap’s Institute of Mental Health report has already been uploaded to the court system.
Further Court Hearings
Owing to how the case details have not been fully gathered, District Judge Terence Tay adjourned the case to 26 April, with a pre-trial conference happening in the High Court on 12 April.
Yap’s defence lawyer, Mr Anil Singh Sandu, told his client that he would be “seeing him next Wednesday afternoon”.
Yap had appeared in court via a video-link with his head shaved.
Should he be convicted of both murders, he is punishable by the death penalty.
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Featured Image: Facebook (@DeathKopitiamSG)
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