SHAH ALAM, Sept 6 — The shocking death of former Cradle Fund Sdn Bhd chief executive officer Nazrin Hassan was not from a fire that broke out while he was asleep but from blunt force trauma, the High Court heard today.

The fire was to destroy any evidence that might otherwise shed light on the real cause of his death, the prosecution posited at the start of the murder trial.

The person behind it all was his widow, Samirah Muzaffar, standing in the dock, said Deputy Public Prosecutor Datuk Raja Rozela Raja Toran.

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“The prosecution will prove that through testimonies from forensic experts that the deceased had died from blunt force to the deceased’s head and this blunt force, as a rule, can cause death to the deceased.

“Testimonies will show that the deceased did not die in the fire. The deceased had died before the fire occurred and the fire was deliberately started to hide the actual cause of death of the deceased,” she said in her opening remarks before judge Datuk Ab Karim Ab Rahman.

Samirah, 44, is one of four people accused of killing Nazrin, 47, alongside two juveniles aged 14 and 17 who cannot be named, and an Indonesian Eka Wahyu Lestari who is still at large.

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All four are charged with murder under Section 302 of the Penal Code, read with Section 34 of the same Act, which provides for the mandatory death sentence if found guilty.

The court also heard testimony from two police photographers who had taken photos of the incident scene, among other things, as evidence that has been submitted for the trial.

Witness Corporal Mahadin Bakar attends the murder trial of Samirah Muzaffar, who is accused of killing her husband, Cradle Fund CEO, Nazrin Hassan, at the Shah Alam High Court September 6, 2019. — Picture by Miera Zulyana
Witness Corporal Mahadin Bakar attends the murder trial of Samirah Muzaffar, who is accused of killing her husband, Cradle Fund CEO, Nazrin Hassan, at the Shah Alam High Court September 6, 2019. — Picture by Miera Zulyana

The first to stand witness today was IPD Petaling Jaya Police photographer corporal Mahadin Bakar who was attached to the investigations team and had taken the necessary photos as required by the investigating officer.

The second witness was another police photographer attached to the IPD Petaling Jaya, Corporal Nazrin Zakaria who took pictures on June 14, 2018, the day of the incident, at the deceased CEO’s house.

Upon arriving in the master bedroom, the police photographer said he saw Nazrin’s body lying in a pool of blood at the side of his bed.

Nazrin also stated that he had taken a picture of a fuel can in the storage room of the deceased’s office.

Representing Samirah and her teen sons are, Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee, LS Leonard, S. Surech, Rahmat Hazlan, Savreena Kaur, Mardhiyah Siraj and Zahria Eleena Redza.

Accompanying Raja Rozela in the prosecution is Mohd Asnawi Abu Hanipah, Asyraf Ashyari, Noor Mawaini Halim and Wan Shahida Wan Osman.

The trial resumes before Justice Ab Karim at the High Court here on September 13.

Witness Corporal Nazrin Zakaria attends the murder trial of Samirah Muzaffar, who is accused of killing her husband, Cradle Fund CEO, Nazrin Hassan, at the Shah Alam High Court September 6, 2019. — Picture by Miera Zulyana
Witness Corporal Nazrin Zakaria attends the murder trial of Samirah Muzaffar, who is accused of killing her husband, Cradle Fund CEO, Nazrin Hassan, at the Shah Alam High Court September 6, 2019. — Picture by Miera Zulyana