AS Malaysians were coming to terms with the murder of 46-year-old IT analyst Canny Ong Lay Kian on June 13, 2003, another tragic death a few months later gripped the nation once again.
This time, the victim was a company executive and part-time model, Noritta Samsudin, who was killed on Dec 5 that same year. She was 22.
Noritta's naked body was found by her housemates earlier that morning at their rented condominium in Puncak Prima Galleria, Desa Sri Hartamas, when they returned home from a night out.
Her body was found on her bed, with her limbs tied behind her back with wires and an undergarment. A pillow case and a bolster case were used to tie her up, covering her face and mouth.
It was reported that her housemates tried to resuscitate her and then called the police.
There were no signs of a break-in and no valuables were missing.
In their testimony, Noritta's housemates said they had earlier encountered a tall and dark stranger with a strong body odour dashing out of their apartment on the day of the tragedy. One of her housemates tried to stop him, but he ignored them and walked away quickly.
According to the post-mortem report, Noritta was either raped or had engaged in sexual intercourse and died from suffocation. Police found several DNA samples that belonged to Noritta and two male suspects.
As part of the investigation, several individuals were called for questioning, including Norrita's boyfriend, her housemates, a Finnish national and the security guards at the condominium.
A 36-year-old engineer named Hanif Basree Abdul Rahman, who was then attached to the Shah Alam City Council, was later named as the main suspect.
It was reported that Hanif's DNA was discovered in Noritta's room.
It was believed that Hanif was the last individual seen with Noritta on the night she was killed.
Hanif was charged under Section 302 of the Penal Code for murder and put on trial. If found guilty, he could have been sentenced to death.
During the court hearing, a security guard of the condominium testified that Hanif was a regular visitor to the condominium and that Hanif was always seen with the victim late at night.
On July 1, 2004, the High Court acquitted Hanif without calling for his defence after a lengthy trial.
The then High Court judge Datuk Abdull Hamid Embong said there was insufficient evidence to warrant calling for his defence and that there were numerous holes in the prosecution's case.
In his judgment, he pointed out the two "mysterious men" linked to the murder, including the man with the body odour.
He said evidence showed that "Unknown Male 1" was the last person to be with the deceased as it was his hair and not Hanif's that was found on her bed.
The appellate court in Putrajaya heard the prosecution's appeal against the acquittal on Jan 26, 2005.
On Jan 29, 2005, Hanif walked out a free man again when the Court of Appeal upheld the acquittal as it was unanimously agreed that the prosecution had not made out a prima facie
case.
Noritta's murder remains unsolved and it is believed the murderer is still at large.
A year later, the then deputy inspector-general of police Tan Sri Musa Hassan said police wanted to continue investigations into unsolved high-profile murder cases such as Noritta's for another 20 years in order to find the real killers.
He said although the cases had raised doubts because the real murderers were not known, it did not mean the police had stopped investigations.
It was reported that a committee to evaluate unsolved cases had been set up to find new leads and nab criminals who were still at large. The police also urged cooperation from the victims' families and the public to provide fresh information.
Shortly after Hanif's acquittal, Noritta's mother said the family would continue to pray that her daughter's murderer would be caught one day.
"Only God and that person know the truth," she was reported as saying from the family home in Pokok Sena, Kedah.
Her mother said Noritta's favourite food was ketam masak lemak (crab cooked in coconut milk) and she would be remembered for her gentle and caring nature.