Hong Kong Murders: British Banker Rurik Jutting Charged With Killing Two Women

British banker Rurik George Caton Jutting was charged with two counts of murder on Monday in the deaths of two women in Hong Kong, according to media reports. Jutting, a former employee of Bank of America Merrill Lynch, was arrested Saturday morning after police found the body of the women in the man’s upscale apartment in the Wan Chai neighborhood.

The suspect, 29, reportedly appeared at a preliminary hearing on Monday and was remanded to custody until Nov. 10. If convicted, Jutting could reportedly face life in prison for the double murder. Paul Scanlon, a spokesman for the bank, said that Jutting worked with them until recently, The Associated Press, or AP reported. According to Reuters, the dead women are suspected to be prostitutes.

The body of an Indonesian woman, identified as Sumarti Ningsih, was found inside a suitcase on the balcony of the man’s apartment. The woman, who had sustained neck injuries, was killed on Oct. 27, AP reported, citing the charge sheet filed against Jutting, who was arrested on Saturday.

"We are now trying to locate those victims' families and we're trying to let the families and relatives know about this very sad situation,” Indonesian consulate spokeswoman Sam Aryadi, said, according to AP.

The body of another woman, who was reportedly killed on Nov. 1, was found with wounds to her neck and buttocks. The second woman was not identified, but according to police, she was aged between 25 and 30.

The recent murders have shocked residents of Hong Kong, a city that has one of the lowest homicide rates in the world, and where violent crime is a rarity.