Lengkok Bahru murder: Neighbour willing to 'adopt' victim's son, 20, who has special needs

A neighbour of the man, who died in Lengkok Bahru following an alleged fatal dispute with a fellow resident, said she is willing to "adopt" the deceased's 20-year-old son, who has special needs.

The woman told Shin Min Daily News that the father and son visited her home almost daily, and that the deceased often helped her with household chores in exchange for money to buy food.

She reportedly choked up and said she treated his son as her own and that she would be willing to "adopt" him.

Alleged murder

The 59-year-old man died after he was allegedly stabbed by his 59-year-old neighbour at Block 55 Lengkok Bahru on Jul. 20.

The pair were apparently involved in a long-standing feud.

The victim's son is believed to have witnessed the incident and has been left emotionally traumatised.

Speaking to Mothership at a remembrance gathering for the deceased on Jul. 22, Queenstown SMC Member of Parliament Eric Chua said he had spoken to the victim's son.

"He's obviously quite emotionally distraught," Chua said, adding that arrangements had been made to support him both financially and emotionally, including connecting him with counsellors.

"I think he can't bear to come back, so we have to make sure he's got some temporary arrangement with somebody whom his father knew," Chua added.

Neighbour willing to care for son

The neighbour, identified by Shin Min as Maria (transliteration), said the father and son were frequent visitors to her home.

As she has difficulty getting around and uses a wheelchair, the victim would often help her with simple chores in exchange for money.

Maria described the man as someone who frequently greeted and chatted with neighbours, saying many residents were deeply saddened by his death.

She said: "When I heard he had passed away, I was shocked. He was such a good person. Why did he suddenly leave us?"

When speaking about the victim's son, Maria became emotional, saying that the 20-year-old is believed to have mild autism.

He occasionally takes on odd jobs, and was usually inseparable from his father, she added.

She described him as a quiet and well-behaved young man.

Victim remembered as friendly man

Maria also said the victim was friendly and had spoken to her about disputes with neighbours before his death.

She described him as talkative and said that although he often drank alcohol, he rarely caused trouble.

He would rest alone downstairs even when he was drunk, she said.

Another neighbour, who had known the victim for more than two years, also told Shin Min that the victim had previously confided in her about frequent disputes with his neighbours.

"I even advised him to avoid the other party and stay out of trouble, but I never expected this would happen so soon after," she said.