Former property agent executed for murder of wife & daughter in Woodlands
A former property agent who killed his pregnant wife and four-year-old daughter in 2017 before setting their bodies on fire was executed on Wednesday (16 April).
According to The Straits Times (ST), 49-year-old Teo Ghim Heng strangled his wife, 39-year-old Choong Pei Shan, and their daughter, Zi Ning, in their Woodlands flat on 20 Jan 2017.
Source: Shin Min Daily News
The Singapore Prison Service confirmed to ST that the execution was carried out at Changi Prison Complex.
In a statement issued the same day, the police said: “A 49-year-old Singaporean, who was charged with and convicted of the murder of his wife and his daughter, had his capital sentence carried out on 16 April 2025.”
The police also noted that Teo had received full due process, with legal representation throughout both his trial and appeal.
“His petitions to the President for clemency were unsuccessful,” they added, stressing that the death penalty is reserved for the most serious offences, including murder.
Sentenced to death for Woodlands murder in November 2020
Teo was sentenced to death by the High Court in November 2020, and the Court of Appeal dismissed his appeal in February 2022.
Source: Lianhe Zaobao
He had argued that his responsibility was diminished due to depression, and that he should have been convicted of culpable homicide instead.
However, the Court of Appeal upheld the High Court’s finding that Teo did not meet the criteria for a diagnosis of major depressive disorder, and was therefore not entitled to rely on that defence.
Teo married Ms Choong in 2009.
Source: Shin Min Daily News on Facebook
He had been a successful property agent, but his income declined sharply in 2015 following a market downturn.
Couple argued over family finances
In late 2016, Teo took a job as a sales coordinator at a renovation firm.
Despite the change in employment, the family’s expenses remained high, largely due to his gambling addiction.
By that time, he had racked up about S$120,000 in debt and had put their flat up for sale.
On 18 Jan 2017, the couple argued over money, during which Teo brought up Ms Choong’s affair from 2014.
Two days later, on 20 Jan 2017, Teo chose not to send their daughter to school, as her fees had not been paid.
When Ms Choong found out, she scolded him for being “useless”.
Teo then strangled her with a bath towel, ensuring she was dead before turning on his daughter and strangling her as well.
Deaths uncovered after wife’s family calls police
After the murders, Teo slept next to the bodies for a week, keeping the air conditioner on to slow decomposition.
He later set the bodies on fire, claiming he had intended to die in the blaze but stopped because the heat was unbearable.
On 28 Jan 2017, the first day of Chinese New Year (CNY), Ms Choong’s family alerted the police, leading to the grim discovery.
Source: Shin Min Daily News on Facebook
The High Court found Teo guilty of two counts of murder.
A third charge, for killing his unborn son, was withdrawn.
The judge rejected the defence’s argument that Teo had lost control after being provoked by his wife’s scolding.
The Court of Appeal upheld the conviction, noting that Teo had taken steps to cover up his crimes, such as using air fresheners to mask the smell, faking a suicide pact, forging notes, and lying to relatives about missing CNY celebrations.
Also read: MS Unsolved: The senseless murder of student Dini Haryati, whose body was found near Woodlands MRT
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Featured image adapted from Shin Min Daily News on Facebook and Shin Min Daily News.
