The teenage boy accused of killing a 13-year-old boy at River Valley High School has pleaded guilty to culpable homicide not amounting to murder on Dec. 1, 2023.
The 18-year-old cannot be identified under the Children and Young Persons Act as he was 16 years old at the time of the offence.
He was charged with murder after his arrest, but the prosecution reduced the charge to culpable homicide, not amounting to murder, because of his mental condition during the offence.
Family asked for gag order on victim to be lifted
According to the charge, the teenager allegedly used an axe to slash Ethan Hun Zhe Kai's head, neck, and body between 11:16am and 11:44am on Jul. 19, 2021.
The victim's identity was previously redacted from the case due to a prevailing gag order.
However, at the start of the hearing, the prosecution applied for the gag order on the victim's identity to be lifted.
They said it was at the family's request.
The defence did not object to the application, and the high court judge lifted the gag order.
What happened
The court heard that the teenager chanced upon videos depicting violence online in April 2020.
He was disgusted but was curious and began watching them from time to time.
In Jan 2021, he was overwhelmed by the new school term and had thought of suicide, but was not able to overcome the psychological barrier of taking his own life.
According to psychiatric reports, he was suffering from a major depressive disorder.
Influenced by the videos he watched, the teenager decided to commit a mass killing in his school.
He prepared an axe which he brought to school in a badminton bag on Jul. 19, 2021.
The teenager hid in the toilet sometime between lessons, deciding to attack the first person who entered, who happened to be the victim.
After killing the victim, the teenager was reported to feel a sense of regret and decided to not continue on with his initial plan of mass killing.
He washed his hands and left the toilet with the axe.
He claimed he wanted to ask other students to call the police, but they ran away instead.
School teachers arrived on the scene, and he listened to advice to drop the axe on the floor.
He was subsequently arrested when police arrived.
The victim was pronounced dead on the scene by paramedics.
Multiple psychiatric reports on his state of mind
Multiple psychiatric reports were made to assess the teenager's state of mind before, during and after the offence.
The reports concluded that the teenager suffered from a major depressive disorder of moderate severity.
They described him as a person with a "sensitive temperament" who "kept things at heart" which caused his "refusal to get help".
They also said that his "extraordinarily careless act" was "out of character".
They also opined that his "misguided exploration of the internet" had removed psychological barriers to gore when taking a life.
The prosecution is seeking 12 to 16 years imprisonment while the defence is seeking five years of jail for the teenager.
Courtroom packed with people
When Mothership arrived at the courtroom at around 9:30am, around 30 people, including media, were waiting outside.
When the hearing started at 10am, the courtroom had about 50 people in the public gallery.
The teenager was present in court in a white prison t-shirt, with his head hung low throughout the proceedings.
Helplines to seek help or listening ear
If you or someone you know are in mental distress, here are some hotlines you can call to seek help, advice, or just a listening ear:
- SOS 24-hour Hotline: 1-767
- Singapore Association for Mental Health: 1800-283-7019
- Institute of Mental Health: 6389-2222 (24 hours)
- Tinkle Friend: 1800-274-4788 (for primary school-aged children)
Related stories
Top photo by Denise Tan