SINGAPORE: A man has admitted to killing his 11-year-old twin sons in January 2022, in a tragedy that shook the nation.
He claimed that he did so because he felt his wife had given up on the two boys, who had autism, and that killing them would take away his wife’s burdens.
He also feared that his sons would be bullied by others, and that no one would take care of them after he and his wife died.
Xavier Yap Jung Houn, 50, pleaded guilty on Tuesday (Aug 15) to two charges of culpable homicide not amounting to murder, for strangling Yap Kai Shern Aston and Yap E Chern Ethan to death near a playground in Upper Bukit Timah.
He had originally been charged with murder, but this was downgraded to culpable homicide after it was revealed that he was suffering from major depressive disorder of moderate severity, around the time of the killings.
BACKGROUND OF WHAT HAPPENED
The court heard that Yap lived with his twin sons and his wife. A domestic helper was also employed to care for the boys.
The couple suspected that the boys had autism spectrum disorder since they were two years old. They were formally diagnosed with global development delay and autism spectrum disorder in May 2017.
The twins were recommended to be placed in a special education school, but their mother in particular had difficulty accepting their condition, the prosecution said.
In 2019 the boys, aged nine, were enrolled in Primary 1 at a mainstream primary school while they were still non-verbal.
Because of the children’s learning difficulties, the boys’ mother and maid would each accompany one child to classes. When their mother was not available, one son would not attend school.
The mother also did not involve their father in decisions on which school the boys should attend, or school activities such as meet-the-parent sessions.
Yap had a good relationship with his sons, the court heard. He did not usually discipline them with physical force. He would help prepare their daily necessities and bought them items they wanted.
He also became more involved in their studies and spent more time with them after they enrolled in primary school.
But Yap became increasingly concerned about his sons around 2019 or 2020, and was saddened that his wife could not accept their conditions.
In September 2021, he noticed that his wife was always getting angry with their sons, and his concern grew.
He began having suicidal ideations, and bought an ice pick on a whim.
At the start of 2022, Yap began harbouring serious thoughts of killing his sons and committing suicide. He had noticed that his wife was depressed and frustrated, because the boys were about to be assessed for their suitability to remain in their mainstream primary school.
He felt that his wife had given up on the boys.
THE KILLINGS
Yap noticed that a playground near his house – Greenridge Crescent Playground – was quite quiet, and that there was a big open field and a forest nearby.
On Jan 21, 2022, he decided to carry out his plan to kill his sons and commit suicide.
At about 4.45pm, he drove his sons to the playground in his car, bringing along the ice pick.
After the boys played for about 10 minutes, Yap took them to an open field near the playground and carried them one by one into a canal near the field.
He pressed a stick against Ethan’s neck before strangling him and placing his face in the water. He then did the same to Aston, who had been watching quietly.
After the boys were dead, Yap tried to kill himself with the ice pick but was unable to do so. He also tried to create a brain injury with a tree branch and rock, but failed.
He then came up with the idea of pretending that he had been attacked. He believed that the evidence would show that he killed the victims, and that by lying to the police that he had been attacked, this would show he had no remorse – and he would receive the death penalty.
Yap moved to a grassy area and called his wife, but she did not pick up. He then made two calls to the police, claiming that he had been attacked and needed help to find his sons.
He then adjusted his sons’ bodies so that they faced upwards, before waiting for the police with their heads in his lap.
When the police did not arrive immediately, he went back to the canal area near the playground and shouted for help.
When officers arrived, Yap told them that he had been attacked and that someone else had killed his sons.
He was taken to hospital with bruises on his head, cuts on his body and abrasions.
He later admitted to killing his sons. Autopsies found that the boys had died by strangulation.
Yap was assessed to be suffering from major depressive disorder around the time of the offences. He had symptoms for the past three years, worsening in the months before the offences.
He would qualify for the partial defence of diminished responsibility, as his condition was of such severity and persistence that it impaired his judgment of the nature and wrongfulness of his actions.
Although he knew the killings were wrong, he felt hopeless for his sons’ futures and wanted to kill them to relieve them of their stress and suffering.
He also felt that killing himself and the boys would allow his wife and her daughter from a previous marriage to carry on with their lives.
Culpable homicide not amounting to murder carries penalties of life imprisonment and caning, or up to 20 years’ jail and a fine or caning.
If the act was carried out without any intention to cause death, an offender can be given up to 15 years’ jail, a fine, caning or any combination of these punishments.