Iris Hsieh death: Murder classification based on evidence, information collected, says minister

PUTRAJAYA – Malaysian police followed strict procedures investigating the death of Taiwanese social media influencer Hsieh Yun Hsi, who was linked to local rapper Wee Meng Chee, better known as Namewee.

Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said it was important for the police to classify a case before deciding the direction of the investigation.

Speaking to reporters at the Putrajaya district police headquarters on Nov 6, Datuk Seri Saifuddin said: “This is based on evidence and information collected. That is the method of investigation and opening an investigation paper.

“The ultimate goal is to search for the truth and ensure justice is served based on relevant existing laws.”

He was asked why the police had taken time to reclassify Ms Hsieh’s case from sudden death to murder.

It was previously reported that Wee had been

remanded for six days

in connection with Ms Hsieh’s death.

Dang Wangi assistant commissioner Sazalee Adam had said the suspect has been remanded until Nov 10 following the process that took place at Dang Wangi district police headquarters.

Wee’s lawyer Joshua Tay H’ng Foong was also seen at the same location.

In a Facebook post prior to surrendering himself to the police, Wee shared a video, showing a police station in the background.

In the video, he said: “I have just arrived in Kuala Lumpur. I have now arrived at the police station, and from here on, I will fully cooperate with the police investigation to give an explanation to the public and the deceased’s family.

“I will not run away, in the past when I was wanted (by the police), I voluntarily reported myself each time and never fled.”

Kuala Lumpur police chief Fadil Marsus had earlier said they were

looking for

Wee

to assist the investigation into the death of Ms Hsieh.

The police had

reclassified Ms Hsieh’s case as murder

after the initial sudden death classification.

Investigations revealed that Wee was the last person seen with the 31-year-old victim in a room at a hotel in Jalan Conlay, in Kuala Lumpur, at about 1.40pm on Oct 22.

He was later arrested for alleged possession and use of drugs but was released after pleading not guilty to the drug-related charges at the Jalan Duta Court on Oct 24.

Datuk Fadil had told a press conference the case, initially classified as sudden death, had since been reclassified as murder under Section 302 of the Penal Code following the discovery of suspicious elements.

He said: “Investigations are ongoing from all angles, including individuals who were last with the victim. We will review all movements of both the victim and the suspect.

“We expect to arrest the suspect soon to assist with the investigation.”

He added that police have recorded statements from hotel staff and security personnel, and were also reviewing CCTV footage tracing the victim’s movements from the airport to the hotel.

Mr Fadil said the victim arrived in Malaysia on Oct 20 and was scheduled to stay for four days until Oct 24.

He said: “The post-mortem and toxicology reports are still pending, and the cause of death remains under investigation.

“It is too early to reveal the cause of death. The post-mortem and toxicology reports will give us clearer findings later.” THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK