Man, 88, allegedly stabs wife to death in Bukit Panjang, to be charged in court on Thursday

An 88-year-old man was arrested and will be charged in court on Thursday (June 6) for the alleged murder of his wife in their Bukit Panjang flat. 

The police said in a statement that they were alerted to a call for assistance at about 1am on Wednesday at Block 137 Petir Road. 

When officers arrived at the scene, they found the 74-year-old woman lying motionless inside the unit. 

In response to AsiaOne's queries, the Singapore Civil Defence Force said they received a call for assistance at 12.45am at the same unit. The woman was pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics.

The 88-year-old man was arrested at the scene. Preliminary investigations show that both parties were known to each other. 

Officers from the Criminal Investigation Department were seen going in and out of the flat on Wednesday morning. They were seen measuring a pair of scissors, reported Lianhe Zaobao.

Marilou A Penar, a domestic helper who lives next door, told 8world that she saw police officers taking away the elderly man, who was in a wheelchair, at around 6am. His wife's body was removed from the flat at around 8am.

Has dementia, limited mobility

Residents interviewed by the media said that the man suffers from dementia. 

Penar, 52, said she noticed that the man started showing signs of the illness this year, and that he had to be brought home by police officers on a few occasions.

A resident told Shin Min Daily News: "Once he came home and couldn't get the door open. The neighbours had to help him [get into the house]."

Penar added that she had known him and his wife for 11 years, and that the couple live with their grandson, who is in his 20s.

Their daughter visited them often, Penar told Shin Min. She added that the couple had limited mobility and that the wife rarely went out. When the man leaves home, he has to use a wheelchair.

On Tuesday morning, she saw the man, who was singing happily. ''We shut our door around 9pm and did not hear any noise until the police arrived.''

She said it was the couple's grandson who called the police.

A resident in the same block told Zaobao that the man would talk to himself, but still greet his neighbours when he sees them.

Other residents said he and his wife moved there about 10 years ago. A resident told Shin Min that the couple have six or seven children.

Though they moved out over the years after they got married, the children visited their parents often and the family got along well, said the resident.

Another resident told Zaobao: "The man is usually alone and we have never heard anyone arguing [in the flat], not even [at the time of the incident]. I only found out about the incident after I saw three police officers knocking on doors this morning when I was out buying breakfast."

If found guilty, the man could face the death penalty. Police investigations are ongoing. 

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claudiatan@asiaone.com