KULAI: An unemployed man was brought before the magistrate's court today and charged with killing an elderly man in Senai here on Nov 27.
However, the accused, Chua Yun Cheng, 34, who at first did not understand the charges, did not enter any plea before magistrate Azureen Sahira Sauffee Afandi after the charges were read by the court interpreter.
According to the charge sheet, Chua is alleged to have murdered Chin Lin Fook, 67, in the living room of a house on Jalan Murni, Taman Bahagia, Senai, at 12.43am on Nov 27.
He faces the death penalty or a maximum of 40 years in prison. If not sentenced to death, he also faces a minimum of 12 strokes of the rotan if found guilty.
The prosecution was led by deputy public prosecutor Othman Affan Ismail and the accused was not represented.
The case is set for a mention on Jan 7 for the submission of the chemical report, autopsy results and forensic evidence. No bail was granted to the accused.
On Nov 30, police received a call regarding the discovery of Chin's body, who was living alone in a house.
Kulai police chief Assistant Commissioner of Police Tan Seng Lee said an examination of the victim's body revealed stab wounds believed to be inflicted with a sharp object.
He added that based on the information received on Dec 3, police arrested a man at his home in Senai and seized a knife suspected of being used in the crime. The motive is believed to stem from a misunderstanding between the accused and the victim.