Indonesian man, 41, charged with murder of wife at Chinatown hotel, asks to be judged in Indonesia

A 41-year-old Indonesian man was charged in court on Oct. 25 for murdering his wife.

According to CNA, Salehuddin asked the judge, through an interpreter, whether he could be prosecuted or tried in Indonesia instead of Singapore.

The judge then said the case was still in the "quite early" stages, so he would not be taking any applications at that point, to which Salehuddin said, "I object".

Salehuddin added that he was facing a death sentence.

The judge informed him that a lawyer would likely be assigned to him.

He also granted the prosecution's application to remand Salehuddin for psychiatric observation for three weeks, said CNA.

Turned himself in

At around 7:40am on Oct. 24, the man went to the Bukit Merah East Neighbourhood Police Centre to inform officers that he had killed his wife.

Police were then dispatched to the hotel and found a 38-year-old woman lying motionless in a hotel room at Capri by Fraser, China Square.

She was subsequently pronounced dead by paramedics at the scene.

The man was subsequently arrested.

Mothership understands that the deceased and the suspect are believed to be a married couple from Indonesia.

According to Lianhe Zaobao, preliminary investigations revealed that the deceased had visible external injuries to her body and was believed to have been stabbed with a weapon.

In response to Mothership's queries, a Frasers Hospitality spokesperson confirmed that the incident was reported to the authorities on Friday morning.

"We are deeply saddened by the tragic incident," the spokesperson stated, adding that they will be cooperating fully with the authorities.

"Our thoughts are with the family of the individual affected, and we are offering support to guests and employees who may have been impacted during this difficult time."

Top photo via Mothership