Even more details have emerged about the 37-year-old Chinese national who allegedly killed a 56-year-old man at the City Gate condominium along Beach Road on May 8.

The woman, Li Ye, was charged with murder on May 9.

Shin Min Daily News previously reported that Li, whose alias is "Coco", hails from China's Sichuan province and has a son and a daughter.

Ran shop together

It has since emerged that the accused and victim used to run an apparel shop along Selegie Road at Parklane Shopping Mall.

But it had stopped operating for more than a year since April 2023.

A neighbouring unit tenant said: "They looked very loving and would have meals together. The business wasn't great after a year, so the shop closed down."

Both the accused and victim cohabitated at a Citygate Residences condominium apartment.

Deceased had multiple businesses previously

According to ACRA (Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority) records, the victim had registered at least three companies and had previously worked as a manager of a company.

These companies were involved in wholesale trading, repairing of devices, as well as real estate management and maintenance.

However, the records showed the victim terminated all at once in late August 2018 and had never taken up any positions since.

Deceased was married twice

Moreover, Shin Min reported that the deceased had registered for marriage twice, once in May 1994 and another time in September 1998.

A neighbour claimed to have seen the deceased man's wife and teenage daughter previously, but not in recent times.

Background

While Li and the victim had been "dating for several years" and "behaved intimately", a source previously told Shin Min that the victim was not the father of her two children.

The source added that the victim treated Li "very well" and would spend "tens of thousands of dollars" on her every month.

Besides giving Li an allowance, it was believed that the victim had also paid for her children's monthly living expenses.

Previously, someone had seen Li and the victim bringing her two children out for a meal, said the source.

According to Shin Min, Li's son is currently enrolled in a local kindergarten, and her daughter, who is more than 10 years old, also resides in Singapore.

Li & victim 'broke up' recently

However, it appeared that Li and the victim's relationship hit the rocks a few months ago.

According to an owner of a restaurant located at City Gate condominium, Li and the victim were their regular customers, and the pair had been patronising his business for around five years.

While the owner said the pair "appeared to have a really good relationship" back then, Li visited their business alone a few months ago.

When the owner asked what had happened, the woman said she and the victim had broken up after a fight, the owner recalled.

Li came to Singapore five years ago

Li's social media page revealed that she moved to Singapore five years ago to earn a living, and she gave birth shortly afterwards, reported Shin Min.

After giving birth, Li had been actively losing weight through dancing and doing yoga.

Concurrently, she also ran a small online business selling goods from China.

Worked as a manager at nightlife establishment

Most recently, Li worked as a manager at a nightlife establishment at Sultan Plaza, which is approximately 70m away from City Gate condominium.

The source said Li had only settled into her Sultan Plaza job recently after taking up jobs at various nightlife establishments previously.

When Shin Min reporters visited Li's company, another manager there confirmed that she was an employee and that she was still working the night before the alleged murder.

However, on May 8, the day of the alleged murder, Li did not show up for work and did not provide a reason, added the manager.

As for the case, the manager said they did not know the details and declined to comment further.

Top photos via Shin Min Daily News