'They are my dearest': Man on trial for murdering pregnant wife and daughter tears up on the stand

SINGAPORE: A man accused of murdering his pregnant wife and four-year-old daughter teared up on the stand on Tuesday (Jan 28) as he talked about how the victims were his "dearest" and "the most important people" in his life.

Asked why he killed them, 44-year-old Teo Ghim Heng said: "Because I'm worried that if they don't come with me together after I die, my debtors might hunt them for the money."

Teo is on trial for killing his wife, 39-year-old Choong Pei Shan - who was six months pregnant with their child at the time - as well as their four-year-old daughter.

Taking the stand at the opening of the defence's case, Teo described his feelings of worthlessness, uselessness and guilt over his mounting debts and inability to provide for his wife and daughter.

READ: Woodlands double deaths: Man strangled pregnant wife with towel before killing 4-year-old daughter

He kept his financial situation - with debts of between S$100,000 and S$150,000 to his colleagues, customers and his child's pre-school - a secret from his wife.

His finances had taken a downturn from earnings of S$10,000 to S$15,000 a month as a property agent while the market was booming from 2011 to 2013, to S$1,500 a month as a sales coordinator.

At the same time, his sex life with his wife worsened, and he purportedly found her in their room with a man in an unbuttoned shirt in 2014.

"I took a chopper and slashed him," said Teo. "He was injured and he (ran) away."

However, he said he gave his wife "a chance" because of their daughter, and still loved his wife even after this incident.

RISING DEBTS

From mid-2014, Teo's income was in the red every month, as his expenses for his property business went up to about S$5,000, while he drew only S$3,000 per month.

The monthly household expenditure for the family of three was about S$3,000 to S$5,000 a month, said Teo. He could no longer continue maintaining his savings of about S$40,000 that year.

He began quarrelling with his wife over finances. She stopped working in 2012 and would ask him for money to help support her parents, said Teo.

However, she was not aware of his financial situation until Jan 13, 2017, when one of Teo's creditors went to his house and asked his wife for S$21,000 that Teo owed.

READ: Accused says wife scolded him, called him a 'useless father'

After this, the couple began quarrelling "almost every single day", which Teo said made him feel "very, very bad" and "look down on myself".

"She compared me with her ex-husband ... I couldn't let her live the life like her ex-husband could provide for her," said Teo.

He said he felt guilty that he could not provide for his wife, and for his daughter.

"I cannot provide her with the simplest things, like I cannot even pay her school fees," said Teo. 

Meanwhile, his debts had snowballed until they were "almost impossible to pay". 

"I feel very down. People lent me money out of goodwill, I can't even repay the money to them," he said.

THE DAY OF THE INCIDENT

On the morning of the killings on Jan 20, 2017, Madam Choong had placed their daughter in her school uniform, but Teo changed the girl back to her home clothes.

He did this because he had no money to pay the school fees, and had owed some months in fees.

"If I bring her to school, chances (are) that the school may ask us to leave, which is a disgrace, which I don't want to see," said Teo.

READ: 'Go find your Mummy first, Papa will come soon,' accused told daughter

READ: Accused ‘adamant’ daughter not his, suspected wife of affair

When his wife saw their daughter back in her home clothes, Teo told her that he did not have money to pay the school fees.

"She started to scream out loud," said Teo. "'What a useless fool you are. Some people can easily feed three children, and you cannot even feed one. You useless fool. (Child) look at your father, your father is so useless.'"

Their daughter was sitting on the bed, and could hear what was going on, said Teo.

"I hate it. I told her a few times – that I hate you scolding me in front of my daughter. I hate this," said Teo. "She started scolding me so loud my mind went blank. I went into the toilet, took a towel, sat behind her, and I looped the towel around her neck."

After this, he strangled his wife with his hands, before asking his daughter to sit on his lap and strangling her the same way with the towel and his hands.

He said his mind went blank and he did not know what he was doing.

"I just wanted her to keep quiet," said Teo. "I cannot stand she (was) shouting at me in front of my daughter. I simply, simply hate this."

THE BEST WAY IS TO DIE: TEO

He said he told his wife while he strangled her that he did not know what to do with the debt, and that "the best way is to die".

"I can't pay off the debtors. The debtors keep coming," said Teo. "I thought that maybe the best way is for my whole family to die. Myself, my wife, my daughter.

"Because I'm so worried that if I were to die alone, my debtors may come hunting them for the money," said Teo. 

After this, he slit his wrist with a penknife and ate 20 paracetamol pills.

He also tried to buy rat poison, but was unsuccessful and so bought 120 paracetamol pills instead, along with two cans of beer.

He ate 105 pills and drank the beer, hoping to die, he said.

TEO'S FAILED SUICIDE ATTEMPTS

He also tried cutting his wrist daily, drinking insecticide, and once tried to jump out of a window in his home.

"My whole body was out already, but I did not succeed, because at that moment there was a car parked directly below my unit and two children came out of their car," said Teo.

READ: Murdered four-year-old adored by everyone in my family, says mother of accused

He slept beside the corpses of his wife and child every day, for a week.

With his voice cracking, Teo said he did this as they were "my dearest family members".

"To me it's normal, sleeping with them together," he said. "Because they are my dearest. They are the most important (people) in my life."

He wiped away his tears on the witness stand.

He explained that he lied to his family members to "buy some time", so that he would also be dead by the time the family of three was found.

He also wrote suicide notes, hoping for his family and in-laws to have the money from the flat, Central Provident Fund, cars and other proceeds after their deaths.

In another suicide attempt, Teo set the corpses on fire and lay down beside them.

"But last minute, because of the heat, I chickened out," he said.

He was arrested on Jan 28, 2017, exactly three years ago, and rushed out of the flat.

However, he explained to the court that he was not trying to run away, but instead wanted to jump off the building.

I WANT A DEATH SENTENCE: TEO

The court also heard how Teo repeatedly told the police and a psychiatrist that he wanted the death sentence.

"I indicated in my statement that - please grant me a death sentence," testified Teo.

Asked by defence lawyer Suang Wijaya why he wanted this, Teo said: "Because at that point in time I felt that the dearest person in my life already left, so it's best that I join them."

READ: Woodlands double deaths: 'Your sister is dead,' accused told brother-in-law

However, Deputy Public Prosecutor Han Ming Kuang, in his cross-examination of Teo, charged that the first things Teo said to the people outside his flat on the day of his arrest "were lies".

He lied that his wife had gone out, that everything was okay, and that he was alone at home, said Mr Han.

He also lied that he and his wife had agreed to commit suicide because he owed a lot of money, charged Mr Han.

Later on, in a statement to the police, Teo said he entered into a suicide pact with his wife, and that she was the one who had looped the towel around their daughter's neck and strangled her.

Teo admitted saying this in the statement, but said he also admitted later on to both of the killings. He also said "no" when asked if he was blaming his wife.

The hearing continues in the afternoon.

If found guilty of murder, Teo faces the death penalty.

Where to get help:

Samaritans of Singapore Hotline: 1800 221 4444

Institute of Mental Health’s Helpline: 6389 2222

Singapore Association of Mental Health Helpline: 1800 283 7019

You can also find a list of international helplines here. If someone you know is at immediate risk, call 24-hour emergency medical services.​​​​​​​