The suspected killer of a man found dead inside a guestroom of a Cotai casino-hotel resort on Thursday afternoon was caught by the police in the Guangdong city of Chaozhou (潮州) on Thursday night, Judiciary Police (PJ) spokesman Ho Chan Nam said at a press conference on Friday.
Chaozhou lies some 350 kilometres northeast of Macau.
The suspect was arrested by the police in Chaozhou at 11 p.m. on Thursday.
According to Ho, the male suspect is a 44-year-old mainlander, while the male victim was a 27-year-old mainlander. Both had known each other for about a fortnight.
Ho said that the victim entered his guestroom at around 11 p.m. on Wednesday, while the suspect then entered the same room at around 2 a.m. the next day.
After staying in the guestroom for two hours, the suspect left the room at about 4 a.m. on Thursday, wheeling his suitcase and carrying some items, after which, no one entered the room until the victim’s dead body was found by the hotel staff at around 5 p.m. on Thursday afternoon, Ho said.
The suspect left Macau through the Qingmao checkpoint early Thursday morning, Ho said.
Ho said the suspect hit the victim with a thermos flask, and the victim eventually died of violent asphyxiation, with numerous bruises on his head, neck, arms, mouth, and nose, Ho said.
The police believe that the victim was struck on the head with a hard object and then choked to death, Ho said.
Ho said the suspect exchanged money for the victim who also ran a currency exchange service, adding that under questioning by the Public Security Bureau (PSB) the suspect admitted to having had an argument with the victim over money, but declined to give details.
Ho said that a mobile phone, a gold ring, and HK$170,000 in cash belonging to the victim had gone missing, adding that the police believe the property was taken by the suspect.
Ho said the suspect faces aggravated homicide and robbery charges.
If convicted in the mainland, the suspect faces capital punishment. If convicted by a court in Macau, the maximum sentence would be 25 years.
This handout combo photo shows the crime scene in a Cotai hotel, police arresting the suspect in Chaozhou, the alleged murder weapon and other pieces of evidence. – Photo courtesy of TDM
