Woodlands murder: Mother stabbed teen daughter

A 14-YEAR-OLD student was found dead from a stab wound to the heart on Thursday morning, reported Lianhe Wanbao.

The murder occurred in a two-room flat at Block 852 Woodlands Street 83 at around 2.50 am.

The victim has been identified as Eunice Chew Li Xin, a Secondary 3 Normal-Technical student at Pei Cai Secondary School.

The suspect is her 51-year-old mother, Madam Wu Hai Xin, reported to be mentally-unstable.

According to the Chinese daily, the teen was sleeping in the bedroom when the incident occurred.

She was alone with her mother in their fifth-floor HDB flat at the time.

They were living in the flat together with Madam Wu's elder daughter and her three-month-old baby daughter.

The suspect's elder daughter, reported to be in her 30s, was the one who discovered her sister's body and called the police.

Suspect "stared blankly" as she was led away

When reporters from Wanbao visited the flat, the two-room flat seemed to be empty and the gate was locked.

According to neighbours, the suspect and her family had moved in only a year before.

Their home was once used as a quarantine area during the SARS period, and was rented out after that to workers.

Neighbours interviewed by reporters from the Chinese daily said they realised a crime had been committed only when they saw police swarming the area.

According to witnesses, the suspect did not resist arrest as she was being handcuffed by police, but just "stared blankly".

A 14-centimetre knife, suspected to be the murder weapon, was recovered from the flat.

Neighbours: Girl was bad-tempered and rude

Neighbours interviewed by reporters from Wanbao recall frequently hearing shouting and other noises from the unit.

A neighbour who was interviewed said: "I heard people arguing and the sound of glass breaking, as well as other noises late last night."

He realised a crime had been committed only when police came by at around 4am.

The neighbour described mother and daughter as not being particularly friendly, and said the victim would frequently slam the door shut when going out, and often spoke to her mother in a rude manner.

Other neighbours described the girl as having a bad temper, who quarrelled frequently with her mother.

School: Victim was well-behaved and conscientious

According to the principal of Pei Cai secondary school however, the victim was a well-behaved student who was concerned about her studies.

Just last week, she was said to have asked her teacher several times regarding the results of a school assessment.

The principal said the victim's sister had called the school to inform them of the incident.

He told reporters from Shin Min that the school will provide counselling for all affected friends and classmates, and will do all it can to help the victim's family.

Mother seemed worried and depressed

According to the Shin Min Daily, the suspect and her elder daughter would frequently adjourn to the stairwell after dinner to drink or smoke.

According to neighbours, Madam Wu always looked worried and depressed, like she "had a lot on her mind".

Neighbours also reported seeing a man who was a regular visitor, but they did not know how he was related to the family.