You must be eager to know what the mysterious comment was that made this man kill another.
The murderer was not even in possession of the knife when the comment was made, but the comment drove him to buy it at a nearby shop.
Did he insult his mother? Or did he ask for his money back?
Here’s what happened.
On 9 Jul 2016, 67-year-old Toh Sia Guan, a rag-and-bone man (garang guni) parked his bicycle outside the coffee shop along Lorong 23 Geylang.
52-year-old Goh Eng Thiam was having his breakfast at that time.
Toh then asked Mr Goh if he sold Chinese medicine and the coffee shop assistant swore at him and said, “Do I look like a drug peddler?”
Yes, that was the comment.
That was when things took a turn for the worse.
Things Got Physical
Both men began fighting and later, Toh left to head to a nearby budget shop where he proceeded to purchase a pair of slippers and a knife.
He then came back and charged at Mr Goh and another fight started.
This was when Toh stabbed Mr Goh in multiple places on his upper body which included his right upper arm. He also had injuries to his face and fingers.
After they exchanged blows for two minutes, Toh ran away from the scene of the crime.
Join our telegram channel for more entertaining and informative articles at https://t.me/goodyfeedsg or download the Goody Feed app here: https://goodyfeed.com/app/
Death & Arrest
According to court documents, Mr Goh laid down on the road and rested his head against the kerb after the fight.
Paramedics later declared him dead at the scene.
Autopsy reports revealed that Mr Goh had bled to death from the stab wound to his right upper arm where the knife had cut through a major blood vessel.
Toh was promptly arrested 12 days later at Labrador Park MRT and was put on trial in the High Court on 6 August 2019.
Sentenced To Life Imprisonment
On 12 Feb 2020, Toh was found guilty of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment.
The judge, Justice Aedit Abdullah, said that there was only circumstantial evidence showing that “Toh had inflicted the fatal injury and his state of mind.”
There wasn’t any witness for the actual stabbing or any other evidence directly implicating him.
However, he concluded that there was an “irresistible inference” that the fatal injury was intentionally caused.
Toh asked if he can appeal his punishment, to which the judge said yes.
