SIBU, Oct 19 — A couple from the Klang Valley has been jointly charged in a Magistrate’s Court here today with the murder of a 37-year-old woman whose body was found partially stuffed in a suitcase dumped by a roadside here on October 6.

Seow Pei Chie is jointly charged with her husband for the murder of Heng Meow Lin. — Borneo Post Online pic
Seow Pei Chie is jointly charged with her husband for the murder of Heng Meow Lin. — Borneo Post Online pic

Seow Pei Chie of Subang Jaya, Selangor, and her husband Cheung Chia Ming from Jalan Tun Sambathan, Kuala Lumpur, both aged 38, were indicted under Section 302 of the Penal Code, read together with Section 34 of the same code which provides for the mandatory death sentence upon conviction.

They were jointly charged with the murder of Heng Meow Lin at a house at Jalan Tong Sang, between October 5 and 6 at around 10pm to 6am.

Both the accused understood the charge when it was read and explained to them through an interpreter in Mandarin.

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However, no plea was taken from them pending a chemist report.

Magistrate Syarifah Fatimah Wan Ali scheduled the case for further mention on November 19.

The couple was ordered to be further remanded as murder is a non-bailable offence.

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The charge was preferred by the case’s investigation officer ASP Che Intan Subri against the accused who are unrepresented.

Last week, Sibu police chief ACP Stanley Jonathan Ringgit said Heng was believed to have put up a fight as she was beaten and strangled by her attackers.

He said this was based on the postmortem conducted by Sarawak General Hospital forensics medical expert Dr Norliza Ibrahim.

He said the post mortem revealed that the victim’s cause of death was asphyxia (due to) neck compression with head injury (due to) blunt force trauma.

“The victim showed signs consistent with someone who tried to defend herself,” he said, adding that police were still probing the motive in the case.

Heng was found fully clothed and waist down inside a suitcase by passersby at the roadside of Jalan Aman at about 6.30am.

She was believed to have died a few hours before her body was discovered.

Two handwritten notes were also found on her.

Police had picked up the suspects at 3.45pm on the day Heng’s body was found. — Borneo Post Online