M'sian 'spirit medium', 55, charged with murder of M'sian woman, 41, during 'exorcism'

In 2022, a 41-year-old Malaysian property agent died after being pinned down, hit repeatedly and bitten on her private parts by a purported spirit medium during an "exorcism".

The spirit medium, a 55-year-old Malaysian woman, is now facing charges for the alleged murder and could potentially be sentenced to death.

Exorcism

The alleged murderer, Xu Fengqiu (transliteration), now 55, purported to be a spirit medium.

In July 2022, the victim, Lin Xinru (transliteration), then 41, had stayed over at Xu's house, located in Selangor, Malaysia.

Lin had apparently been sent to Xu's home by her mother, China Press reported then.

She had gone to seek "treatment".

Lin was later found dead by the police on the evening of Jul. 27, 2022.

Xu was subsequently arrested for suspected murder.

'You want your child to be safe?'

In court on Jan. 16, 2026, Lin's mother, Zhong Yuzhu (transliteration), 67, who was present during Lin's final moments, recounted what she saw, China Press and Guang Ming Daily reported.

On Jul. 27, 2022, Lin phoned Zhong at about 1pm and told her to head down to the home.

After arriving, Xu instructed Lin's mother to sit in silence on a sofa in the house.

Xu also told her not to worry or react, no matter what happened.

"She told me, 'You want your child to be safe? The Buddha will bless you.'", Zhong recalled.

Placed smoking urn on neck, bit private parts

She would go on to watch Xu as she sat on Lin, hit her in the chest and placed a smoking urn on Lin's neck.

Throughout the ordeal, Lin would scream in agony as Xu continued hitting her.

Xu also chanted incantations and used her feet to step on Lin's chest, Lin's mother told the court.

At one point, Xu bit Lin on and near her private parts, causing her to let out a scream.

Afterwards, Xu spat into Lin's mouth.

She also covered Lin's mouth using the smoking urn, which prevented her from shouting.

Zhong expressed in court that she was unsettled and afraid at that point and had questioned Xu on why she was being so violent.

Xu replied that it was all to chase out the evil spirit that was inside her daughter.

Zhong shared that after repeating the acts several times, Xu appeared exhausted and instructed her to pick up the items that were strewn across the floor.

'She's dead'

"At about 5pm, Xu suddenly told me that my daughter was dead. She told me to shake my daughter's body and get her to come back to life," Zhong recounted, Guang Ming Daily reported.

"It was then when I jolted awake from the sofa and laid down beside my daughter. By then, her hand had already gone cold and pale," she added.

Afterwards, Xu apologised to Zhong for causing the death of Lin and told her not to worry.

Apart from telling Zhong that her 'master' will settle things with the police, Xu also told her that she would take care of Zhong till she's old.

When Zhong told Xu that they needed to call the police and ambulance, Xu lashed out at her.

Zhong felt helpless and broke down in tears.

Xu reportedly dolled up Lin's body afterwards.

According to Guang Ming Daily, Zhong had filmed the "exorcism" on her phone, which enraged Xu.

Xu instructed her to dispose of her phone.

Zhong told the court that before she put her phone away, she sent the footage to her sister.

Defence argues accused was of unsound mind

Xu faced a murder charge, and her case went before the Malaysian courts on Jan. 16, 2026.

The medical examiner reported 34 wounds on Lin, the court heard, China Press wrote.

They also reported that she had died from the fatal injuries sustained in her chest and pelvis.

While the prosecution argued that there was enough evidence to support the murder charges against Xu, her defence countered that they had proven that Xu was of unsound mind at the time of the incident.

This has been certified by a psychiatrist, the defence said.

According to the psychiatrist, Xu suffered from hallucinations after the passing of her child, and she believed that the child's spirit was inside her, Guang Ming Daily wrote.

The hallucinations were an indication of mental illness, the psychiatrist noted.

As such, the defence furthered that Xu could not have been conscious of the criminality of her actions and did not intend to kill the victim.

The defence called for Xu to be acquitted of the murder charge.

If found guilty, Xu faces the death penalty or 30 to 40 years in prison.

Top image via Guang Ming Daily, China Press