Suspect in Felicia Teo’s murder to be held 3 more weeks for psychiatric assessment

SINGAPORE — A man charged last month with murdering a 19-year-old who went missing 13 years ago will be remanded for another three weeks for psychiatric assessment, with the police concluding investigations into the case.

Ahmad Danial Mohamed Rafa’ee, 35, was charged on Dec 17 last year with the murder of Felicia Teo Wei Ling in 2007.

His remand has already been extended twice for police to complete investigations and recover evidence.

Ahmad’s lawyer Shashi Nathan from law firm Withers KhattarWong told the court on Thursday (Jan 7) that he has requested to meet Ahmad, now that the police have completed their investigations into the case.

He thanked officers from the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) who have been handling the case for helping to arrange a meeting with Ahmad over video-conferencing tool Zoom after the previous court mention on Dec 31 last year.

Ahmad, a creative manager at gaming firm Razer, briefly reappeared in court via video-link sporting shoulder-length hair and a red polo shirt. As in previous court sessions, he showed no emotion.

THE CASE

Ahmad and Ragil Putra Setia Sukmarahjana, 32, are accused of murdering Teo in a Housing and Development Board flat at Block 19 Marine Terrace between 1.39am and 7.20am on June 30, 2007.

The police said previously that they were searching for Ragil, who is believed to be overseas. Based on his LinkedIn profile, he was last listed as being based in Jakarta, Indonesia.

The two men are believed to have been the last to see Teo at the flat that night. The three are said to be friends, and had all attended the Lasalle College of the Arts, based on their social media profiles.

Ahmad was arrested on Dec 15 last year in relation to Teo’s disappearance after new leads surfaced when the cold case was referred to CID for a fresh review.

Teo’s disappearance in 2007 sparked a frenzied islandwide search comprising almost 200 family and friends who distributed and posted thousands of fliers, refusing to believe that she had run away.

While tracing items believed to be in Teo’s possession when she was reported missing, CID officers linked one of the items to Ahmad and arrested him.

Preliminary investigations showed that Teo died before her mother made a police report on July 3, 2007. The two men had allegedly disposed of Teo's body.

The police had said that they were searching for Teo’s remains. 

It was not mentioned in court if the police have found her.

Ahmad will return to court on Jan 28.

If convicted of murder, he faces the death penalty.