Man who stabbed wife to death jailed 9 years for culpable homicide
A man in handcuffs. Reuters file photo
SINGAPORE — Overwhelmed with suspicions that his wife was having extramarital affairs, Rosdi Joenet woke her up at daybreak one morning, hoping to discuss their marital disputes. Things turned sour when his then 41-year-old wife, Faridah Senin, hurled angry words at Rosdi and chased him out of the bedroom.
Furious, Rosdi returned with a kitchen knife and stabbed Faridah repeatedly until she died.
All these happened while the couple’s three children, aged 14 to 21, were asleep and Faridah’s mother was preparing food in the kitchen.
Rosdi, 51, was sentenced to nine years’ jail for culpable homicide not amounting to murder, as he was found to be suffering from delusional disorder during the time of his offence on Nov 17, 2012.
The disorder “substantially impaired” his mental responsibility for causing his wife’s death, the court heard. His sentence was backdated to Nov 18, 2012.
An autopsy report found a total of 26 injuries on Faridah, including wounds in a vein leading to her heart, parts of her lungs and her chest.
The court heard that the couple had been married since 1991, but their relationship had been on the rocks prior to the incident as Rosdi suspected Faridah of having an extramarital affair. However, she denied it when he confronted her.
Two weeks before the incident, their relationship had deteriorated to the point that they were sleeping in separate rooms — Faridah in the master bedroom and Rosdi in the study.
At 5am on Nov 17, 2012, Rosdi awoke to find Faridah’s mother, Mdm Siti Khatijah Md Bederan, preparing food in the kitchen, while Faridah and his three children were fast asleep.
When Rosdi woke Faridah up in an attempt to discuss their marital disputes, she responded with angry words and chased him out of the room, the court was told.
Rosdi then returned with a kitchen knife, sporting a 20-cm blade, and locked the door to the room.
Upon hearing Faridah’s screams, Mdm Siti Khatijah demanded Rosdi to open the door, only to hear him reply that he was “in a discussion with Mdm Faridah and would open the door a while later”.
Faridah was overheard begging Rosdi not to kill her.
Rosdi stabbed Faridah multiple times to her death sometime between 5am and 5.19am, the court was told, before coming out of the room to tell Mdm Siti Khatijah what he did.
He also told his three children, who were awakened by their mother’s screams, that he had “reasons” for killing her, the court heard.
He then turned himself in to the police with a text message that read: “Murder. I am the husband. My wife. I am unable to say anything now.”
A psychiatric examination found that Rosdi was suffering from a jealousy subtype of delusional dis-order, typically a chronic and lifelong disorder unless treated.
Seeking a jail term of eight to ten years, Deputy Public Prosecutors Wong Kok Weng and Ma Hanfeng said that despite Rosdi’s mental condition, the sentence should take into account the heinous nature of his offence. In addition to rehabilitation, the principles of public protection and retribution should shape the appropriate sentence, they argued.
Defence lawyer Abraham Vergis, who is representing Rosdi pro bono, said he is likely to appeal against the sentence. Mr Vergis had sought a jail term of no more than six years, citing how Rosdi will respond more effectively to treatment while at home, with the support of his “close-knit family”.
“It is reasonably clear that Rosdi is no longer a threat to himself and to others. The object of his delusional disorder is no more,” said Mr Vergis, quoting partly from a report by Institute of Mental Health consultant Dr Bharat Saluja.
Dr Bharat had assessed Rosdi’s risk of committing future violent acts to be low, but he would require one to two years of treatment.
Rosdi could have been jailed up to 20 years, with a fine and caning.
