By By Elena Chong, Court Correspondent
A WOMAN was stabbed to death by her ex-husband who subsequently committed suicide while waiting to be tried, a coroner's court heard.
A joint inquiry was held on Wednesday into the deaths of Madam Wei Hong, 41, and her former husband from China, Yu Qiangguo, 45, an assistant supervisor.
Madam Wei, who was self-employed and managed a shop at People's Park Centre, died from multiple stab wounds on June 26 last year.
Married to Yu in April 1991, the couple have a son, Yu Wei, now 17. She divorced him in 2006 - four years after she and her son came to Singapore. She did not even reveal to him where they lived here.
In April last year, Yu came to Singapore to work and to search for his family. When he found them, he tried to persuade Madam Wei to reconcile with him but was rejected. Instead, Madam Wei insisted that he return to China.
Yu suspected his ex-wife of being unfaithful to him and planned to kill her.
He took two knives with him on June 26 and when he saw her about to leave the flat, he pushed her into the unit and stabbed her in her tenants' room.
Yu was charged with her murder the next day. He was remanded in Changi Prison awaiting a preliminary inquiry when he hanged himself in the toilet area of his cell on Sept 20. His three cellmates were asleep then.
Yu, the court heard, had suicidal tendencies and was placed on special watch.
State Coroner Victor Yeo recorded a verdict of murder by Yu on Madam Wei's death. He recorded a verdict of suicide on Yu's hanging.
