In Johor Baru, Soo Siau Soon, a 31-year-old man, was charged in the magistrate’s court today with the murder of a 42-year-old woman that occurred last month. The accused appeared before Magistrate Hidayatul Syuhada Shamsudin and confirmed that he understood the charges when read in Mandarin. No plea was recorded at this stage.
Soo faces accusations of causing the death of the victim on December 1, 2023, at approximately 12:50 am, in front of a temple at Batu 8 1/2 in Skudai. Along with Soo, Heng Tang Lee, 58, and C. Susila, 45, were charged with abetting the murder at the same location and time. Both of them also understood the charges but did not enter a plea.
The charges brought against the three individuals carry severe penalties. If convicted, they could face the death penalty or, alternatively, a maximum of 40 years in prison, along with up to 12 strokes of the rotan.
In a separate development, Heng was also charged with two additional offenses. He is accused of assisting Soo in discarding a pair of scissors in a swamp in Taman Tampoi Utama on January 15, 2024, to obstruct justice. Furthermore, Heng is facing a charge related to the possession of an unlicensed firearm, which carries a sentence of up to seven years in prison, a fine of RM10,000, or both.
The prosecution was represented by Deputy Public Prosecutors Siti Aishah Latif and Nik Noratini Nik Azman. The defendants did not have legal representation in court.
The suspects were apprehended after the discovery of the victim’s body in a car last month. The victim was found with multiple stab wounds on her chest, face, and arm. The police chief of Johor, Datuk M. Kumar, confirmed the arrests of the three individuals earlier this week. The next court hearings are set for March 6 and 19, 2024, pending the results of post-mortem and chemistry reports.