A woman who killed her ex-boyfriend’s wife and injured his mother and son in a knife attack in an Areia Preta housing estate on Sunday claims that he had tried to poison her, Judiciary Police (PJ) spokesman Lai Man Vai said in a special press conference yesterday.
According to Lai, the suspect is a 33-year-old woman from Hunan province surnamed Liao. She was the man’s girlfriend over 10 years ago, but they still occasionally met in recent years. The man’s mother and wife knew the suspect, Lai noted.Lai said that Liao told the police that she suspected her ex-lover of having tried to harm and poison her, and she also told the police that she had had a medical check-up about her suspicions, but there was no evidence to prove it, according to Lai.
Liao bought a carving knife, a bottle of red chilli powder and two bottles of Chinese white liquor from a supermarket around 5 p.m. on Sunday, before heading to the building to go to her ex-boyfriend’s flat. It later emerged that she also carried a folding knife and two ice picks at that time.
Internal organs exposed
Lai said that when Liao arrived at the flat at about 5:15 p.m. she asked to see her former boyfriend but was told that he was at work. Liao was invited in and chatted with the family for a while when she suddenly took out a 30.5-centimetre long knife and attacked the man’s five-year-old son and his 32-year-old wife, surnamed Hao, who later died of the wounds. When the man’s 62-year-old mother intervened, Liao stabbed her in the abdomen, which left some of her internal organs exposed.
Lai said that police at the scene found the handle of an ice pick in the flat, and it was later confirmed that the steel rod was found in the body of the man’s mother when she was being treated in hospital on Sunday.
The man’s 10-year-old daughter was able to flee the scene and dashed to ask for help from the doorman in the building’s lobby at around 7 p.m.
The man’s mother and Liao were still struggling with each other when the police arrived at the flat, Public Security Police (PSP) spokesman Cheong Heon Fan said, adding that Liao followed the police’s instructions when told to put the weapon down.
According to Lai, when Liao was arrested, the police found a folding knife, an ice pick and some chilli powder in her pockets.
Lai said that the suspect used the carving knife and another ice pick to attack her ex-lover’s family. The two bottles of Chinese white liquor Liao bought from the supermarket were found outside the flat.
Lai also said that the suspect told police that she did not intend to kill anyone.
Conde de São Januário Hospital Centre Medical Director Lei Wai Seng said on Monday that Liao told the police that she felt dizzy after attacking the family, but did not suffer from an acute mental illness, based on a medical check-up at the public hospital after the police had taken her there.
While the man’s wife was certified dead at the public hospital on Sunday, his mother and son remained hospitalised yesterday.
Liao was transferred from the Judiciary Police to the Public Prosecution Office (MP) yesterday and faces charges of aggravated murder, attempted murder and possession concealed weapons, according to Lai.
Sunday’s fatal attack was the city’s first homicide this year. The police recorded two homicides last year.
The hooded murder suspect is escorted by Judiciary Police (PJ) officers from the PJ headquarters in Zape to a vehicle yesterday. Photos: Iong Tat Choi
Evidence seized from the murder suspect such as ice picks and knives are displayed during yesterday’s press conference about the case at the pressroom of the Judiciary Police (PJ) headquarters.
