44-year-old man arrested for murder after 79-year-old woman found dead in Sengkang flat
SINGAPORE: A 44-year-old man has been arrested for the alleged murder of a 79-year-old woman at a flat along Fernvale Road in Sengkang.
The incident occurred on 1 June 2025, with police receiving a call at about 11.50am regarding a case at Block 465B Fernvale Road.
The elderly woman was found lying motionless at the scene and was pronounced dead by attending paramedics.
The man, identified as Lim Yuen Li, was arrested at the unit. According to preliminary investigations, the deceased and the accused were known to each other.
On 3 June, Lim was charged in the State Courts with one count of murder, an offence that carries the death penalty in Singapore.
He is alleged to have caused the death of Wang How Khiew sometime between 1.59am and 10.30am on Sunday, 1 June, at the aforementioned location.
The charge sheet did not indicate the nature of the relationship between Lim and the deceased.
Lim, a Singaporean, appeared in court via video link. During the proceedings, he requested permission to use his mobile phone for calls and to settle some administrative or financial matters.
He was unrepresented and informed the court of his intention to apply for a state-assigned defence lawyer. He also expressed his wish to attend the funeral of the deceased.
At the prosecution's request, the court ordered Lim to be remanded for psychiatric assessment. His next court appearance is scheduled for 24 June.
According to a report by Lianhe Zaobao, Lim allegedly beat the elderly woman—believed to be his mother—to death with his bare hands, then attempted to make the death appear accidental.
The same report stated that Lim later contacted a funeral services provider in a calm manner.
Local undertaker Roland Tay told Zaobao that a man identifying himself as 'Ling' had called at around 10.30am on 1 June, seeking a doctor to certify a death.
Tay said he questioned the caller about the woman's condition, to which the man responded that she had fallen and was bleeding.
'I said I could call a doctor, but he needed to tell me his mother's condition. He said his mother had fallen and was bleeding,' Tay recounted. 'Based on my decades of experience, in such cases, the police or 995 should definitely be called, so I advised him to do that.'
Tay later tried to contact the man again but was unsuccessful. He was subsequently approached by the police for further information.
The Zaobao report also suggested that the relationship between Lim and the deceased was strained, with frequent arguments observed.
A neighbour informed the media that the pair had moved into the unit only about a month prior. The son was described as a quiet man, though loud disputes were reportedly common.
The night before the incident, one neighbour reported hearing loud banging noises from the unit. The sounds reportedly intensified and continued into the early morning hours.
Another resident living below the flat stated that noises resembling knocking and the dragging of furniture had been occurring nightly around 11pm for over a week.
These noises repeated every 10 minutes and lasted for approximately half an hour each time.
Police investigations are ongoing.
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