SINGAPORE - A 41-year-old man, who killed his mother in 2012 and tried to burn her body to hide evidence of his crime, died of natural causes while serving his life sentence, a coroner found.

Sujay Solomon Sutherson died of multi-organ failure due to septicaemia or blood poisoning on Sept 8, 2022, said State Coroner Adam Nakhoda, who ruled out foul play in a report dated March 30, 2023.

According to the report, Sujay had a medical history that included schizophrenia, vitamin B12 deficiency, and sensory ataxia – a loss of body coordination due to a nerve impairment.

Sujay, who had plunged a knife into his mother’s neck, stabbed her again with a second knife, and then slit her throat with a third, was convicted of culpable homicide not amounting to murder on Aug 11, 2015. He was incarcerated in Changi Prison.

On Sept 5, 2022, after complaining that he felt weak, Sujay was seen by a doctor, to whom he reported that he had suffered three falls in the previous two weeks.

He said he had fallen because of weakness in his lower limbs and would feel dizzy before each fall. He also said that he had vomited three times that day, was experiencing speech difficulties, and was finding it hard to swallow.

Sujay was found to have low blood pressure, and the doctor noted that he appeared to have weakness in his limbs and was dehydrated. His mouth was dry and his speech slurred, and his face appeared to be deformed on the right side.

Sujay was taken to Changi General Hospital (CGH) and admitted to the intensive care unit.

The working diagnosis was that Sujay was in septic shock. This is when someone’s blood pressure is dangerously low level due to an infection. He was treated, but was deemed too ill for doctors to investigate the source of the sepsis.

On Sept 6, 2022, the hospital informed Changi Prison that Sujay was critically ill. He died two days later.

According to the coroner’s report, Sujay’s uncle, who visited him in prison about once every three weeks, said Sujay had not raised any issues concerning his incarceration during the visits.

The report also noted that a prison officer in charge of the correction unit said Sujay had not raised any issues with regard to his diet or medical care. The officer said he observed that Sujay had weakness in his limbs but had been independent and did not require physical assistance, although he sometimes used a walking frame or wheelchair to move around.

The uncle also said Sujay’s family did not have any issue to raise about the care given to his nephew during his hospitalisation at CGH, and that he himself had no issues with regard to his nephew’s incarceration or the medical care that he was given in prison.