Warning: This story mentions suicide and contains descriptions of a suicide.
SINGAPORE: A funeral director was convicted on Friday (Sep 13) of assisting her ex-boyfriend’s suicide by nitrogen gas, and for obstructing justice.
The judge found that City Funeral Singapore director Alverna Cher Sheue Pin had intentionally aided the suicide of her ex-boyfriend, 32-year-old Wee Jun Xiang.
Mr Wee died by inhaling nitrogen gas in a car at a multi-storey car park at Bedok Reservoir Road on May 16, 2020.
District Judge Shawn Ho on Friday said he gave full weight to Cher’s statement to the police, where she described turning the valve of the nitrogen tank four to five times and placing it in a lying position on the car seat.
To contain the nitrogen gas and speed up the process, she said in her statement that she took a bag and placed it on the rear floor of the car, so the nitrogen would be poured into the bag instead.
The judge found that the prosecution had proven its case beyond reasonable doubt and convicted Cher of both charges.
She had obstructed justice by asking another man to drive the car containing the nitrogen gas tank away, disposing of the bag and lying to the police that she believed Mr Wee had died of a heart attack after having chest discomfort for two weeks.
The 42-year-old Singaporean woman was initially charged with culpable homicide not amounting to murder, but the charge was reduced.
PROSECUTION’S CASE AT TRIAL
The prosecution, led by Deputy Public Prosecutor Marcus Foo, had argued at trial that Cher knew that Mr Wee was suicidal from February 2020.
Cher later testified that this was because Mr Wee owed S$200,000 to S$300,000.
She learnt of his plans to die and discussed with him how to make his death appear natural, agreeing to remove traces of his suicide by disposing of the nitrogen tank, the prosecution argued at trial.
The pair visited the multi-storey car park before the planned suicide and shared texts discussing their plans.
On May 16, 2020, when Cher went to the car park, she found Mr Wee still alive when he was supposed to be dead, the prosecution said.
She then helped release more nitrogen gas into the car before leaving. When she returned again later that afternoon, Mr Wee had died.
She then threw away the bag that was in the car and called for a doctor to sign off on his death.
When the police arrived, Cher lied that Mr Wee had been complaining of chest discomfort and said she believed he had died of a heart attack, the prosecution said.
An autopsy later found Mr Wee’s cause of death to be consistent with asphyxia due to oxygen deficiency.
Cher had contested the charges and changed lawyers a few times. She testified that she had encouraged Mr Wee to live on.
DEFENCE URGED JUDGE TO ACQUIT
She was represented by Mr Peter Ong Lip Cheng, who said in closing arguments that the prosecution had not proven its case.
He said the prosecution’s case was “illogical” and questioned where the nitrogen tank was, saying this was “very important”.
The defence had argued at trial that Cher could not have moved the nitrogen tank on her own as she was petite and had back problems.
“Is there a possibility that he died of heart attack? Or heart disease? This is an important fact the prosecution has to prove,” said Mr Ong.
“The maximum sentence is 10 years, so we have to be very careful. Nobody was at the car park that day. Only two persons, or I will add one more person – God. God, Alverna and the deceased. Nobody can get the deceased to testify.”
Cher dabbed at her eyes in the dock as her lawyer made closing arguments.
In reply, Mr Foo said the defence themselves had acceded to Cher making inconsistencies in her oral testimony.
The case was adjourned to another date for mitigation and sentencing.
The penalty for abetting suicide is a jail term of up to 10 years and a fine. For obstructing the course of justice, an offender can be jailed up to seven years, fined, or both.