Man Kills Wife, Tells 4-Year-Old Daughter To 'Find Mummy' Before Killing Child

A man assured his four-year-old daughter that “Papa is here” as he strangled her to death after killing his wife, a court in Singapore heard Thursday.

On Jan.20, 2017, 43-year-old Teo Ghim Heng got into a heated argument with his pregnant wife, Choong Pei Shan, after he informed her that he hadn’t paid their daughter’s school fees for past two months. Shan mocked at him in front of their child and called him “useless.” Suddenly, in order to “shut her up,” he strangled his wife to death with a towel. After killing the woman, Heng asked his daughter to sit on his lap and assured her to not be scared and he was there for her. He then strangled the girl and said, "Go find your mummy first. Papa will come soon.”

The accused then tried to kill self by slashing his wrist but the wounds were superficial. He spent a week in the apartment with the bodies of his wife and child before burning them. The incident came to light after Shan’s family reported the crime to the police.

Dr. Derrick Yeo of the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) told the court that the man was not suffering from any mental disorder when he committed the crime and his behavior showed planning.

"He was able to make objective choices and consider alternatives to his behavior. His action to kill his wife was not something that was out of his control,” the doctor told the court.

The court also heard that the man had written four suicide notes which included instructions about how the couple’s assets must be divided. A few days after he was taken into custody, Heng told a psychiatrist that he had "no regrets,” except for killing his daughter. The man was charged with two counts of murder and could face death penalty if found guilty.