Orchard Towers fight: Six men, one woman charged with murder

Suspects of the Orchard Towers murder arriving at the State Courts on July 4, 2019. ST PHOTO: KELVIN CHNG
Chan Jia Xing (centre), one of the suspects charged with the murder of Mr Satheesh Noel Gobidass. ST PHOTO: WONG KWAI CHOW

SINGAPORE - Seven people were charged on Thursday (July 4) with the murder of Mr Satheesh Noel Gobidass, 31, who died following a brawl at Orchard Towers on Tuesday.

Natalie Siow Yu Zhen, 22; Joel Tan Yun Sheng, 26; Chan Jia Xing, 26; and Ang Da Yuan, 26, were charged in court with one count each of murder with common intention.

Tan Sen Yang, 27; Loo Boon Chong, 25; and Tan Hong Sheng, 22, appeared via video link. The three, who are currently in remand at the Central Police Division on Cantonment Road, are each facing the same charge.

The seven allegedly killed Mr Satheesh on Tuesday at around 6.25am at the entrance of Orchard Towers. According to court documents, they were "members of an unlawful assembly whose common object was to cause hurt" to Mr Satheesh.

The accused persons displayed no emotion when the charges were read out to them in court. Only Chan was represented by a lawyer. More than 20 of their friends and relatives were in court to hear the case.

The police had arrested eight people, including two women, by Tuesday evening for the murder. Investigations are ongoing for the last member of the group, the police said on Wednesday.

Investigators at Orchard Towers following the murder of Satheesh Noel Gobidass, on July 2, 2019. ST PHOTO: CHONG JUN LIANG
A pool of blood near a staircase leading to Orchard Towers following the murder on July 2, 2019. ST PHOTO: CHONG JUN LIANG
Police officers gathering evidence near Orchard Towers' entrance following the murder. ST PHOTO: CHONG JUN LIANG

The Straits Times had reported earlier that closed-circuit television footage from a shop on the first storey of the building shows the victim exchanging blows with some individuals after Mr Satheesh approaches one of them.

After the group of individuals leave, Mr Satheesh stumbles in front of the building's glass doors. He appears to be bleeding from his neck as bystanders try to staunch the blood flow.

He was taken to Tan Tock Seng Hospital but was pronounced dead at 7.25am.

When ST arrived on the scene on Tuesday afternoon, there was a pool of blood and many blood-soaked tissues at the building's entrance.

The police were seen speaking to people at the club, and most of the second floor and the building's main entrance were cordoned off. Storekeepers at Orchard Towers said that they had heard shouting and fighting in the early morning, and believe the brawl had started on the second floor of Orchard Towers.

The seven accused will be back in court on July 11, and have been remanded for investigation. No bail was extended as this is a capital offence.

Offenders convicted of murder will face the death penalty.


Correction note: This article has been edited for clarity.

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