More details have emerged about the case where two Singaporean men and a Malaysian woman allegedly murdered a 25-year-old Malaysian in Johor Bahru during the early hours of Oct. 27, 2023.

What allegedly happened?

Deceased was attacked outside KTV nightclub

The Malaysian man was allegedly attacked outside a KTV nightclub in Taman Sentosa, Johor Bahru, at around 3am on Oct. 27, according to China Press.

The Malaysian man, who was wearing a black top, attempted to escape but was chased and stabbed multiple times by a man wearing a white top, according to Sin Chew Daily.

According to CCTV footage of the incident, the Malaysian man ran away and sat on a chair beside a coffeeshop not far from the KTV.

He could be seen tapping on his mobile phone before he fell out of the chair and landed on his side.

The man eventually succumbed to his injuries, and his body was subsequently covered with a piece of white cloth. Authorities arrived at the scene afterwards.

The man was reportedly found with "stab marks" in his chest, stomach, ribs, shoulder, back, fingers and cheek, according to Johor Bahru south police officer Raub Selamat, The Star reported.

Two Singaporean men arrested in relation to the case

The Malaysian police were attempting to locate the murder suspects when they were alerted to a "suspicious" Singapore-registered Audi sedan.

The vehicle was driven by a Singaporean man and carried two passengers — another Singaporean man and a Malaysian woman.

The Singaporean driver sped off when Malaysian police intercepted the Audi for investigation.

He lost control of the vehicle, and it skidded into the opposite lane and crashed into two oncoming cars before finally colliding with a portion of the Johor palace's gates at around 5:30am.

All three were arrested on suspicion of the murder of the 25-year-old Malaysian man.

The police seized a knife and three cell phones, amongst other items.

The trio all tested positive for methamphetamine.

They were taken to court on the morning of Oct. 28, and the police are investigating their alleged motives.

Who are those allegedly involved?

The deceased

According to China Press, the deceased is 25-year-old Xie Zhiyu (transliteration from Mandarin), who worked as an electrician.

He was the eldest son in his family and had a younger brother.

Xie's father told Shin Min Daily News that the family believes Xie was wrongfully killed because they did not recognise the three suspects, and they did not know whether he was dating anyone.

Xie's father also added that Xie was a very filial son who asked him to have a meal together on his birthday last week.

"He would always tell us what he was doing, and he rarely went to nightclubs. On the night of the incident, he drove himself and went out alone. We didn't know how he found himself in trouble with the suspects," recounted Xie's father.

Xie's father also said the family hoped the police could provide them with an answer and let justice prevail.

Two Singaporean men

According to Shin Min, the two Singaporean suspects are aged 26 and 29.

However, the Chinese daily did not specify who was the Audi driver or the assailant.

Before getting into a police vehicle on the morning of Oct. 28, one of the men even yelled at the media, "Take photos of me! Take photos of me!"

He also asked, "Have you guys not covered murder cases before?" before telling a man and a woman, who were believed to be the suspects' friends, that the female suspect would be released today.

He reportedly told the man and the woman to tell the female suspect to "handle some items properly," including the crashed car and Rolex watch.

The lawyer of the suspects confirmed with the media that the two male suspects will be locked up for another day while the female suspect will be released later on Oct. 28.

What is being said online?

As reported by China Press, the Malaysian woman is allegedly surnamed Yeoh.

According to China Press and Shin Min, the incident allegedly started due to Yeoh, who purportedly broke up with one of the Singaporean men around two weeks ago.

She subsequently met Xie at a nightclub, and the pair began allegedly having intimate relations.

However, Yeoh supposedly got back together with the Singaporean man on the night of the incident.

She allegedly demanded RM5,000 (S$1,430) from Xie, as well as for him to be slapped three times, for supposedly molesting her.

Yeoh's boyfriend, on the other hand, allegedly threatened to go after Xie if he did not oblige and apparently said that he (the boyfriend) is a wanted criminal in Singapore who is not afraid of reoffending.

Xie reportedly asked for a day to prepare the money, and he was allegedly fatally stabbed by the male suspect when he was walking towards his car.

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Top image via Shin Min Daily News, China Press & Yeoh's social media