SINGAPORE: A domestic worker who suffocated her employer’s 73-year-old father with a pillow while he slept has been sentenced to life imprisonment.
Sumiyati, a 53-year-old Indonesian national who goes by one name, was convicted on Wednesday (July 29) of murder.
She had attacked the man in his home in Bishan Street 23 in 2022. She was angry because she felt he had accused her of stealing his wife’s jewellery.
Justice Mavis Chionh said that based on the evidence, she was satisfied that the prosecution had proven Sumiyati committed murder, but added that the question was whether the court should exercise discretion on imposing the maximum penalty of death.
“I agree with the prosecution and defence that while the killing of the deceased was indeed a horrific tragedy, this was not a case where the accused can be said to have exhibited viciousness or a blatant disregard for human life,” said the judge.
The man, who lived with his wife and his daughter, had mobility issues. His daughter employed Sumiyati in September 2019 to provide caregiving services to her father.
Sometime around 2021, Sumiyati’s employer extended her employment contract and increased her salary as they were happy with her services. The helper also indicated that her employer’s father was caring and gentle towards her.
But around late-2021, Sumiyati began requesting for her salary to be paid in advance.
She also borrowed money from her employer’s father and his wife, lying that she needed the money to cover medical costs her family had incurred in Indonesia.
Sumiyati started to steal from the family in 2022, and took jewellery from her employer’s mother after noticing where the older woman kept her jewellery in the cupboard.
On separate occasions between April 12, 2022 and April 21, 2022, Sumiyati stole three gold rings, a gold bracelet and a pair of gold earrings from the man’s wife.
She pawned the jewellery, worth more than S$1,400, at a shop near the Bishan flat.
When her employer’s mother discovered that her jewellery was missing, the family confronted Sumiyati. The helper admitted that she had stolen the jewellery and gave them the pawnshop ticket.
Sumiyati told them that she would redeem the jewellery in future with her salary, and pleaded with the family not to make a police report. They decided to give her a chance.
On April 28, 2022, Sumiyati stole $150 from her employer’s father’s wallet while he was having his lunch. She left the flat to a shop nearby where she remitted the money to a bank account in Indonesia.
After she returned to the flat, the wheelchair-bound man questioned Sumiyati about his wife’s missing necklace for about 30 minutes.
The court heard he urged her to confess if she had stolen the necklace, as his wife would otherwise make a police report.
The prosecution said he believed she had stolen it, and wanted her to return it. Angered that she was accused, Sumiyati decided to kill the man.
She was also afraid he would find out that she had stolen money from the flat earlier in the day.
Sumiyati considered different ways of killing him.
She eventually decided to suffocate him with a pillow.
Sumiyati waited until she heard him snoring. She then covered his face with a pillow and forcefully pressed it down.
He struggled but she continued to hold down the pillow forcefully for around 30 minutes. By then he had stopped moving but she wanted to make sure he was dead.
Once she was sure, she returned the pillow to its original position and packed her personal belongings. She also took his wallet and mobile phone, before she left the flat.
Sumiyati was arrested at around 12am on April 29, 2022, after the man’s wife returned home later that evening on April 28, 2022. By then, he was unresponsive and his body was cold to the touch.
In mitigation, Sumiyati’s lawyer Mohamed Muzammil Mohamed said the helper was a divorcee with three children from past marriages.
He said that during her time in Singapore, Sumiyati was cheated by three men through various scams. He said she stole and borrowed money from her employer’s parents to cover her losses.
In court, Sumiyati said she was under the control of hypnosis and black magic by one of the scammers, who had suggested that she steal from her employers.
“This is without a doubt a tragic case where the accused, who on her own account had unfortunately lost money to scams, stole from employers and eventually ended up killing the deceased - a man who she accepts was caring and gentle towards her,” said the judge. - The Straits Times/ANN
