Chinese national gets death sentence for murder in Yishun

A Chinese national who killed three women in a flat in Yishun four years ago has been sentenced to death. 

Wang Zhijian, 46, was tried for the murder of his 42-year-old lover, Madam Zhang Meng and her 17-year-old daughter, Feng Jianyu, 17; as well as their flatmate Yang Jie, 36, in their flat. 

Wang also slashed Madam Yang's daughter, Li Meilin, who was 15 years old at the time of the incident in 2008. 

On Friday, High Court Judge Chan Seng Oon found Wang guilty of the murder of one of the three victims.

In his verdict, Justice Chan accepted Wang's defence of diminished responsibility for the deaths of Madam Zhang and her daughter.

So the judge found Wang guilty of culpable homicide not amounting to murder in these two instances. 

But Justice Chan found Wang guilty of murdering Madam Yang. 

He said in a 52-page written judgement that Wang had harboured so much hatred and anger towards Madam Zhang that it was logical to expect that after he had stabbed her, it "would have assuaged his anger". 

The judge said this was not the case. 

He said by the time Wang moved on to kill Madam Yang, he would have had an opportunity to cool down and be mentally responsible for his actions. 

He said Wang was able to exercise his rational judgement, and that "his intention to have Yang killed to silence her as a potential informant and witness was clear". 

The judge said Wang's mental responsibility was no longer substantially impaired by this time. 

His acts, the judge said, were "deliberate, purposeful, directed and methodical". 

So Justice Chan rejected the defence's argument that when Wang cut Madam Yang's fingers, he had not regained his mental capacity.