EDITOR’S NOTE: This is an ongoing case. The article will be updated as new developments arise.
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In the early hours of Friday (27 Oct), a 25-year-old Malaysian man died after a fight outside a nightclub in Johor Bahru (JB).
Two hours after that fight, an Audi crashed into the royal palace in Johor after also taking out two other vehicles.
Two Singaporean men and a Malaysian woman, who were in the Audi, were arrested for suspected drug consumption and murder.
While many on both sides of the Causeway are aware of the incident, the details remain scattered.
We’ve compiled a timeline of the JB stabbing case and what’s known so far, based on news reports from Malaysia and Singapore.
It all started outside a KTV nightclub at Taman Sentosa, on Friday (27 Oct).
At around 3am, a man stepped out of the nightclub — only to be accosted and then stabbed. China Press reported eyewitness accounts of the victim being chased by a man wearing black.
The assailant reportedly stabbed the man several times. The victim then made his way to a nearby shop and sat down on a chair along the walkway.
According to the timestamp of the closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage near the alleged shop, this was at 3.11am.
The victim appeared to be conscious for a while, before slumping over from the chair onto the ground.
It was later revealed that he had succumbed to multiple stab wounds on his right chest, left abdomen, under his left ribs, left shoulder, right back, left back, and left thumb.
There was also a scar on the middle finger of his left hand and on the left cheek.
In the next few hours that followed, local police worked to track the suspects. They received a report of a fight involving sharp objects in the Johor Bahru area at around 3.41am.
Around that time, the police detected three suspects in a car along Jalan Tanjung Puteri.
At 5.28am, they tried making checks on the vehicle. The driver then sped off until Jalan Tun Dr Ismail before he lost control and skidded.
In the process, the car crashed into two other vehicles and subsequently, into the front gate of Istana Besar.
The police then arrested all three people in the car. They also tested positive for methamphetamine.
The timeline of the incident on 27 Oct, pieced together through media reports and police statements, is as follows:
25-year-old Xie Zhiyu, a Malaysian electrician who worked at a university in Skudai, Johor, was the victim of the fatal stabbing.
He had succumbed to multiple injuries from the stabbing earlier that night.
Xie’s father noted that he would typically go home right after he ended his shift at the university. At most, Xie would just have tea with friends, reported Sin Chew Daily.
He was allegedly not the sort to stay out late or get into trouble, so his parents never had to worry about him.
On the fateful night of his death, Xie had not told his parents about where he was headed when he left home.
It’s also reported that Xie’s father did not know the three suspects tied to his son’s case.
The two Singaporean men being investigated are 26-year-old Fu Yiming and 29-year-old Pan Xuanyao.
Additionally, a 33-year-old Malaysian woman, Yang Yiwen, is also a suspect.
Johor Bahru South Assistant Commissioner Raub Selamat told The Straits Times (ST) that one of the suspects has criminal records involving drug cases.
The three suspects were then taken to court on Saturday (28 Oct) — a day after their arrest.
On Monday (30 Oct), Pan Xuanyao was served with two charges — one for being the driver of the Audi that crashed into the Istana Besar, and one for driving under the influence of drugs.
He was offered RM7,000 (S$2,006) bail, the need for two Malaysian guarantors, and had to report to the police once a month.
For the second charge, Pan was allowed to pay RM5,000 (S$1,433) bail. According to his defence lawyer, it’s believed that he can get his passport back.
Meanwhile, Malaysian Yang Yiwen is reportedly given verbal bail.
On the same day as the first charges were being read, Xie’s family said their farewells to the departed.
Dozens of friends and family attended his funeral, while his employer had sent several wreaths there.
Jacky Cheung’s ‘Blessing’ was played and Xie’s body was later cremated at Nirvana Kulai Memorial Park at 1pm.
According to Xie’s father, his son died a wrongful death, Sin Chew Daily reported.
On 31 Oct, 26-year-old Singaporean Fu Yiming was charged with the murder of Xie Zhiyu, on top of drug consumption.
He denies the drug charge. The court date is set for 21 Dec.
In the most recent development, the 33-year-old Malaysian woman in the case, Yang Yiwen, was deemed a tainted witness.
Police suspect the fight broke out over one of the alleged suspects’ girlfriend, Yang, leading to Xie’s fatal stabbing, reported ST.
At the time of writing, the case is still before the courts. Hopefully, the matter will be laid to rest in time to come.
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Featured image adapted from China Press, Polis Daerah Johor Bahru Selatan on Facebook, and China Press.
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