A local man took his own life after murdering his younger brother over a financial dispute, Judiciary Police (PJ) spokesmen Leng Kam Lon and Leong Kuok Hei said during a special press conference yesterday.
According to Leong, the elder brother jumped to his death from his home’s balcony yesterday while his younger brother, a middle-aged local man, was found dead in the murder suspect’s flat in the northern district.
Both were surnamed Chan.
Leong declined to reveal the brothers’ exact age.
The case is Macau’s second homicide this year. Fratricides, i.e., the act of killing one’s own brother, have been extremely rare in Macau.
Leong noted that at 12:20 p.m. yesterday, police received a report from the elder brother’s son, who had discovered a male lying on the living room floor, covered in blood, in the flat. The elder brother’s son told police that after accompanying his father home from a medical appointment, his father had locked him outside the flat. When the door was still ajar, the son saw a man lying on the floor and called police. While firefighters and police officers were attempting to open the door, the elder brother jumped from the flat’s balcony and was later confirmed dead at the scene. He died upon impact, Leong said.
Leong also said that the body of the younger brother was found lying in the living room, with a significant amount of dried blood on the floor and blood spatter on the surrounding walls, indicating a physical assault. Based on the state of the body, the police estimate that the victim had been dead for over 48 hours when his body was found.
The police discovered a bloodstained metal pipe, measuring 85 cm in length and 3 cm in diameter, in a corner of the living room, confirming the flat as the primary crime scene.
Leong added that the findings of an autopsy showed multiple open fractures on the left rear of the younger brother’s skull, consistent with repeated blunt-force trauma. The younger brother also had facial and nasal fractures but showed no defensive wounds on his limbs or torso. The cause of death is believed to be blunt-force injuries, indicating homicide, Leong said. The body of the elder brother was found on the pavement below the balcony with multiple fractures and no defensive wounds either, consistent with a fatal fall, according to Leong.
Leong added that the flat was owned by the elder brother. The police discovered that the younger brother had visited the flat at 4 p.m. on Friday, while the elder brother had returned home around 6 p.m. that day. The murder is believed to have resulted from a financial dispute going back several years, Leong said, leading to the murder of the younger brother, followed by the elder brother’s suicide.
A metal pipe used by the murderer to attack his younger brother is displayed in a press room of the Judiciary Police (PJ) headquarters in Zape yesterday. – Photo: Ada Lei
