Zin Mar Nwe case

{{short description|2018 case of a Myanmar maid charged with murder in Singapore}}

{{Infobox criminal

| name = Zin Mar Nwe

| image =

| image_size =

| alt =

| caption =

| birth_name = Zin Mar Nwe

| birth_date = {{birth year and age|2001}}{{cite news|date=18 May 2023 |title=

Pembantu rumah didapati bersalah bunuh ibu mertua majikan |website=Berita MediaCorp |language=Malay |url=https://berita.mediacorp.sg/singapura/pembantu-rumah-didapati-bersalah-bunuh-ibu-mertua-majikan-756381 }}

| birth_place = Myanmar

| death_date =

| death_place =

| cause =

| resting_place =

| nationality = Burmese

| alias =

| allegiance =

| motive = Out of anger over alleged mistreatment by the victim

| charge = 1st charge: Murder of a 70-year-old woman by stabbing

| conviction = Murder under Section 300(c) of the Penal Code, reduced to manslaughter

| conviction_penalty = To be determined

| conviction_status = Incarcerated at Changi Women's Prison

| occupation = Domestic maid (former)

| spouse =

| parents =

| children =

}}

On 25 June 2018, at Singapore's Choa Chu Kang, 17-year-old Zin Mar Nwe, a foreign maid from Myanmar, used a knife to stab her employer's mother-in-law, who was alleged to have abused the maid. The 70-year-old elderly victim, an Indian national, sustained 26 knife wounds and died from acute haemorrhage caused by the stabbing. Zin was arrested not long after the killing and charged with murder. Although the victim was initially named in the local and international media, her name was subsequently not reported to protect the identity of one of her family members who was underage.{{cite news|url=https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3226498/singapore-jails-myanmar-maid-life-over-murder-employers-70-year-old-mother-law-she-stabbed-26-times |title=Singapore jails Myanmar maid for life over murder of employer's 70-year-old mother-in-law she stabbed 26 times |website=South China Morning Post|date=4 July 2023}}

Zin, who claimed that she was suffering from diminished responsibility at the time of the murder, stood trial three years later in November 2021 for the crime. The High Court found her guilty of murder on 18 May 2023,{{cite news |date=18 May 2023 |title=26刀捅死男雇主岳母 17岁女佣谋杀罪成立 |website=Johor China Press |language=zh |url=https://johor.chinapress.com.my/20230518/26%E5%88%80%E6%8D%85%E6%AD%BB%E7%94%B7%E9%9B%87%E4%B8%BB%E5%B2%B3%E6%AF%8D-17%E5%B2%81%E5%A5%B3%E4%BD%A3%E8%B0%8B%E6%9D%80%E7%BD%AA%E6%88%90%E7%AB%8B/ |access-date=20 May 2023 |archive-date=29 August 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240829031826/https://johor.chinapress.com.my/20230518/26%E5%88%80%E6%8D%85%E6%AD%BB%E7%94%B7%E9%9B%87%E4%B8%BB%E5%B2%B3%E6%AF%8D-17%E5%B2%81%E5%A5%B3%E4%BD%A3%E8%B0%8B%E6%9D%80%E7%BD%AA%E6%88%90%E7%AB%8B/ |url-status=live }}{{cite news |date=18 May 2023 |title=捅死雇主七旬岳母 17岁缅甸女佣罪成 |website=Sin Chew Daily |language=zh |url=https://johor.sinchew.com.my/20230518/%E6%8D%85%E6%AD%BB%E9%9B%87%E4%B8%BB%E4%B8%83%E6%97%AC%E5%B2%B3%E6%AF%8D-17%E5%B2%81%E7%BC%85%E7%94%B8%E5%A5%B3%E4%BD%A3%E7%BD%AA%E6%88%90/ |access-date=20 May 2023 |archive-date=20 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230520111051/https://johor.sinchew.com.my/20230518/%E6%8D%85%E6%AD%BB%E9%9B%87%E4%B8%BB%E4%B8%83%E6%97%AC%E5%B2%B3%E6%AF%8D-17%E5%B2%81%E7%BC%85%E7%94%B8%E5%A5%B3%E4%BD%A3%E7%BD%AA%E6%88%90/ |url-status=live }} and more than a month later, Zin Mar Nwe was sentenced to life in prison on 4 July 2023, after the trial court duly considered that Zin should not be given the death sentence on account that she was a minor when killing the victim and thus, she was spared the gallows and received a life sentence for the brutal crime.{{cite news |date=4 July 2023 |title=不堪被打骂26刀捅死雇主七旬岳母缅甸籍女佣被判终身监禁 |website=8World News |language=zh |url=https://www.8world.com/singapore/maid-found-guilty-of-murdering-employers-70-year-old-mother-in-law-2175901 |access-date=4 July 2023 |archive-date=4 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230704034325/https://www.8world.com/singapore/maid-found-guilty-of-murdering-employers-70-year-old-mother-in-law-2175901 |url-status=live }}{{cite news |date=4 July 2023 |title=26刀捅死雇主岳母缅籍女佣终生监禁 |website=Lianhe Zaobao |language=zh |url=https://www.zaobao.com.sg/realtime/singapore/story20230704-1410446 |access-date=4 July 2023 |archive-date=4 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230704083109/https://www.zaobao.com.sg/realtime/singapore/story20230704-1410446 |url-status=live }}

Upon her appeal in 2025, Zin's conviction for murder was reduced to manslaughter by the Court of Appeal, and she is currently pending to be re-sentenced by the appellate court.{{cite news|title=26刀捅死雇主岳母判终身监禁女佣上诉后罪名减至误杀|url=https://www.zaobao.com.sg/news/singapore/story20250514-6352663|work=Lianhe Zaobao|language=zh|date=14 May 2025}}

Background

Prior to her arrival in Singapore, Zin Mar Nwe, who was born and raised in Myanmar, was hired and trained to become a domestic maid, and she first came to Singapore on 5 January 2018. Even though her real age was 17, the agent responsible for Zin's employment registered her passport and changed her date of birth, claiming that Zin was 23 years old. In fact, the minimum age to work as a maid in Singapore was 23, and being six years younger, Zin would not have been eligible to become a maid by Singapore employment standards. This was eventually uncovered during police investigations after Zin was arrested.{{cite news |last=Lam |first=Lydia |date=9 November 2021 |title=Maid on trial for murdering employer's 70-year-old mother-in-law, leaving 26 stab wounds |url=https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/myanmar-maid-murder-employer-mother-law-zin-mar-nwe-2300341 |website=CNA |access-date=20 May 2023 |archive-date=29 August 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240829031809/https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/myanmar-maid-murder-employer-mother-law-zin-mar-nwe-2300341 |url-status=live }}

After she arrived in Singapore, Zin worked for two Singaporean families (one after the other) between January and May 2018. On 10 May 2018, Zin was hired by an Indian-born financial controller who immigrated and settled in Singapore, and she began working for her employer, who lived at Choa Chu Kang with his wife and two teenage daughters.{{cite news |date=19 May 2023 |title=Maid found guilty of murdering employer's 70-year-old mother-in-law |website=Borneo Bulletin |url=https://borneobulletin.com.bn/maid-found-guilty-of-murdering-employers-70-year-old-mother-in-law/ |access-date=20 May 2023 |archive-date=20 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230520111051/https://borneobulletin.com.bn/maid-found-guilty-of-murdering-employers-70-year-old-mother-in-law/ |url-status=live }}

Murder

On 26 May 2018, sixteen days after Zin Mar Nwe started working for her third employer, her employer's 70-year-old mother-in-law travelled from India to Singapore to come live with her son-in-law and his kin for a month. During the period of her stay, the elderly Indian citizen allegedly abused the 17-year-old maid Zin Mar Nwe (who never suffered abuse from the other members of the household), hitting her (either with bare hands or other objects) and reprimanding her on several occasions whenever the maid did not perform up to expectations or could not understand her instructions. On one occasion, while Zin was massaging the elderly woman, she used too much force and the woman slapped her. On another occasion, in the kitchen, Zin had switched the stove

on wrongly which accidentally caused the elderly woman to have her hand slightly burnt. This caused the woman to pull Zin's hands close to the fire. On a third occasion, when Zin was cutting the older woman's toenails, the woman allegedly kicked her in the chest.{{cite news |last=Lum |first=Selina |date=18 May 2023 |title=Myanmar maid who stabbed employer's mother-in-law 26 times found guilty of murder |url=https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/courts-crime/myanmar-maid-who-stabbed-employer-s-mother-in-law-26-times-found-guilty-of-murder |website=The Straits Times |access-date=20 May 2023 |archive-date=20 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230520111057/https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/courts-crime/myanmar-maid-who-stabbed-employer-s-mother-in-law-26-times-found-guilty-of-murder |url-status=live }}{{cite news |last=Sun |first=David |date=9 November 2021 |title=Maid on trial for murdering employer's mother-in-law claims she was abused |url=https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/courts-crime/maid-on-trial-for-murdering-employers-mother-in-law-claims-she-was-abused |website=The Straits Times |access-date=20 May 2023 |archive-date=20 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230520111100/https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/courts-crime/maid-on-trial-for-murdering-employers-mother-in-law-claims-she-was-abused |url-status=live }}

On the morning of 25 June 2018, Zin Mar Nwe was alone at home with the elderly woman, who threatened to contact Zin's agent and send her back to Myanmar.{{cite news |date=9 November 2021 |title=疑不满遭暴力女佣连捅26刀致死老妇 |website=Oriental Daily |language=zh |url=https://www.orientaldaily.com.my/index.php/news/international/2021/11/09/448953 |access-date=20 May 2023 |archive-date=20 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230520132007/https://www.orientaldaily.com.my/index.php/news/international/2021/11/09/448953 |url-status=live }} Zin was emotionally triggered by the threat, especially since she had already incurred a debt of S$3,300 to come to Singapore to work. In a fit of anger, Zin grabbed a knife from the kitchen and stabbed the woman multiple times while the elderly woman was watching television.{{cite news |last=Lum |first=Selina |date=16 July 2023 |title=She tolerated abuse, but threat of being sent home triggered maid to stab boss' mum-in-law |url=https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/courts-crime/she-tolerated-abuse-but-threat-of-being-sent-home-triggered-maid-to-stab-boss-mum-in-law |website=The Straits Times}}{{cite news |last=Yee |first=Jonathan |date=18 May 2023 |title=Myanmar Helper Stabs S'pore Employer's Mother-In-Law 26 Times, Found Guilty Of Murder |url=https://mustsharenews.com/myanmar-helper-guilty-murder/ |website=Must Share News |access-date=20 May 2023 |archive-date=20 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230520111050/https://mustsharenews.com/myanmar-helper-guilty-murder/ |url-status=live }}

The elderly victim, 70-year-old Mehrotra Shashi,{{cite news|date=27 June 2018|title=70-year-old Indian-origin woman murdered in Singapore allegedly by Myanmarese maid|website=The Hindustan Times|url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/70-year-old-indian-origin-woman-murdered-in-singapore-allegedly-by-myanmarese-maid/story-Q1tp2RlA7DuUIweMT3aeTI_amp.html|access-date=20 May 2023|archive-date=20 May 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230520111050/https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/70-year-old-indian-origin-woman-murdered-in-singapore-allegedly-by-myanmarese-maid/story-Q1tp2RlA7DuUIweMT3aeTI_amp.html|url-status=live}} died as a result of acute haemorrhage resulting from the 26 stab wounds (some of which penetrated her heart and lungs) on her body. Three of the wounds were sufficient to cause death in the ordinary course of nature.{{cite news |last=Romero |first=Anna Maria |date=11 November 2021 |title=Maid on trial for murder says the victim physically abused her |url=https://theindependent.sg/maid-on-trial-for-murder-says-the-victim-physically-abused-her/ |website=The Independent |access-date=20 May 2023 |archive-date=20 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230520111050/https://theindependent.sg/maid-on-trial-for-murder-says-the-victim-physically-abused-her/ |url-status=live }} The victim was pronounced dead at about 3:29pm after a neighbour (who heard the screams) discovered her body and the arrival of paramedics.{{cite news |date=25 June 2018 |title=蔡厝港发生女佣弑主案 |website=Lianhe Zaobao |language=zh |url=https://www.zaobao.com.sg/realtime/singapore/story20180625-870115 |access-date=20 May 2023 |archive-date=20 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230520134358/https://www.zaobao.com.sg/realtime/singapore/story20180625-870115 |url-status=live }}{{cite news |last=Stolarchuk |first=Jewel |date=28 June 2018 |title=Myanmar maid was employed just two months before she stabbed 70-year-old female employer to death |url=https://theindependent.sg/myanmar-maid-was-eemployed-just-two-months-before-she-stabbed-70-year-old-female-employer-to-death/ |website=The Independent |access-date=20 May 2023 |archive-date=20 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230520120800/https://theindependent.sg/myanmar-maid-was-eemployed-just-two-months-before-she-stabbed-70-year-old-female-employer-to-death/ |url-status=live }} Police were also contacted to investigate the case, which was classified as murder, and a manhunt was set out to look for Zin who was their prime suspect. Evidence was also collected from the flat, which was cordoned off for more than twelve hours.{{cite news |date=26 June 2018 |title=邻居听见女人尖叫声，女佣弒阿嫲 |website=Johor China Press |language=zh |url=https://johor.chinapress.com.my/20180626/%E9%84%B0%E5%B1%85%E8%81%BD%E8%A6%8B%E5%A5%B3%E4%BA%BA%E5%B0%96%E5%8F%AB%E8%81%B2-%E5%A5%B3%E5%82%AD%E5%BC%92%E9%98%BF%E5%AC%A4%EF%BC%81/ |access-date=20 May 2023 |archive-date=29 August 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240829031935/https://johor.chinapress.com.my/20180626/%E9%84%B0%E5%B1%85%E8%81%BD%E8%A6%8B%E5%A5%B3%E4%BA%BA%E5%B0%96%E5%8F%AB%E8%81%B2-%E5%A5%B3%E5%82%AD%E5%BC%92%E9%98%BF%E5%AC%A4%EF%BC%81/ |url-status=live }} Neighbours who interacted with the family were shocked to hear about the gruesome murder and stated that the family (who all lived here for at least 17 years) were generally friendly, and described the maid as a "timid" and small-sized person.{{cite news |date=26 June 2018 |title=工作不到两个月女佣多刀捅死70岁老妇 |website=Oriental Daily |language=zh |url=https://www.orientaldaily.com.my/news/international/2018/06/26/248822 |access-date=20 May 2023 |archive-date=29 August 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240829031845/https://www.orientaldaily.com.my/news/international/2018/06/26/248822 |url-status=live }}

Zin Mar Nwe, who escaped the flat with an EZ-Link card and some cash, wandered around Singapore after the stabbing, and she was arrested five hours later upon her arrival at the maid agency to retrieve her passport.{{cite news |date=25 June 2018 |title=工作不到两个月女佣涉多刀夺命老妇胸颈遭刺穿 |website=Lianhe Zaobao |language=zh |url=https://www.zaobao.com.sg/znews/singapore/story20180626-870369 |access-date=5 July 2023 |archive-date=5 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230705040957/https://www.zaobao.com.sg/znews/singapore/story20180626-870369 |url-status=live }}{{cite news |last=Paramanantham |first=Madhumita |date=25 June 2018 |title=Maid, 24, arrested for suspected murder of 70-year-old woman in Choa Chu Kang |url=https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/maid-24-arrested-for-suspected-murder-of-70-year-old-woman-in-choa-chu-kang |website=The Straits Times |access-date=20 May 2023 |archive-date=20 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230520111049/https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/maid-24-arrested-for-suspected-murder-of-70-year-old-woman-in-choa-chu-kang |url-status=live }} Zin was charged with murder two days later on 27 June 2018.{{cite news |date=27 June 2018 |title=Myanmar maid charged with murder of 70-year-old woman in HDB flat |website=The Straits Times |url=https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/courts-crime/domestic-worker-from-myanmar-charged-with-murder |access-date=20 May 2023 |archive-date=20 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230520111049/https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/courts-crime/domestic-worker-from-myanmar-charged-with-murder |url-status=live }}{{cite news|date=28 June 2018 |title=Maid charged with murder |website=The Star |url=https://www.thestar.com.my/news/regional/2018/06/28/maid-charged-with-murder-myanmar-woman-accused-of-killing-70yearold-singaporean }} The case was extensively reported in the Indian media and Singaporean media, and other countries, due to the high-profile nature of the case.{{cite news |date=27 June 2018 |title=Indian-origin woman murdered by Myanmar maid in Singapore |website=Times of India |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/nri/other-news/indian-origin-woman-murdered-by-myanmar-maid-in-singapore/articleshow/64761851.cms |access-date=22 April 2024 |archive-date=20 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230520111056/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/nri/other-news/indian-origin-woman-murdered-by-myanmar-maid-in-singapore/articleshow/64761851.cms |url-status=live }}

After the completion of the autopsy at the mortuary of the Health Sciences Authority, the victim's son-in-law retrieved the body for funeral preparations, and more than 30 relatives and friends were present at the victim's funeral at Mandai Crematorium.{{cite news |last=Alkhatib |first=Shaffiq |date=28 June 2018 |title=Myanmar maid charged with murder of 70-year-old woman |url=https://tnp.straitstimes.com/news/singapore/myanmar-maid-charged-murder-70-year-old-woman |website=The New Paper |access-date=20 May 2023 |archive-date=20 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230520111059/https://tnp.straitstimes.com/news/singapore/myanmar-maid-charged-murder-70-year-old-woman |url-status=live }}

Trial of Zin Mar Nwe

=Prosecution’s case =

On 9 November 2021, three years after her arrest, Zin Mar Nwe officially stood trial for murder. A month before the beginning of Zin's trial, in October 2021, the courts issued a gag order to prohibit the local media and newspapers in Singapore from continuing to report the name of the victim, in order to protect the identity of one of the trial witnesses, who was below 18 years old and a family member of the victim. Also, Zin Mar Nwe's age was corrected from 23 to 17 after the authorities got wind of her false declaration in her passport and a bone-age test at Tan Tock Seng Hospital confirmed that Zin was "most likely" 17 years old at the time she murdered the deceased. Even though she was a minor when murdering the victim, Zin was tried as an adult.{{cite news |last=Ting Koh |first=Wan |date=8 November 2021 |title=I was abused by victim: Maid accused of stabbing employer's mother-in-law to death |url=https://sg.news.yahoo.com/i-was-abused-by-victim-maid-accused-stabbing-employers-mother-in-law-death-045844985.html |website=Yahoo News |access-date=20 May 2023 |archive-date=20 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230520111050/https://sg.news.yahoo.com/i-was-abused-by-victim-maid-accused-stabbing-employers-mother-in-law-death-045844985.html |url-status=live }}

The charge of murder against Zin Mar Nwe came under Section 300(c) of the Penal Code, which dictates an offence of murder where an offender intentionally inflicted injuries that were sufficient in the ordinary course of nature to cause death, which carries either life imprisonment with caning or the death penalty if found guilty.{{cite news |date=9 November 2021 |title=Maid in Singapore on trial for murdering employer's elderly mother-in-law who allegedly abused her |website=Malay Mail |url=https://www.malaymail.com/news/singapore/2021/11/09/maid-in-singapore-on-trial-for-murdering-employers-elderly-mother-in-law-wh/2019535 |access-date=20 May 2023 |archive-date=20 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230520112720/https://www.malaymail.com/amp/news/singapore/2021/11/09/maid-in-singapore-on-trial-for-murdering-employers-elderly-mother-in-law-wh/2019535 |url-status=live }}

The prosecution's case was based on Zin's confession. Zin initially claimed that two dark-skinned people entered the flat to attack and stab the victim to death, but subsequently, Zin changed her story and confessed to killing the elderly woman, claiming that as a Buddhist, she should tell the truth.{{cite news |last=Chai |first=Ruth |date=18 May 2023 |title=Maid, 22, who stabbed employer's mother-in-law 26 times in 2018 found guilty of murder |url=https://mothership.sg/2023/05/maid-22-who-stabbed-employers-mother-in-law-to-death-in-2018-found-guilty-of-murder/ |website=Mothership |access-date=20 May 2023 |archive-date=20 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230520111051/https://mothership.sg/2023/05/maid-22-who-stabbed-employers-mother-in-law-to-death-in-2018-found-guilty-of-murder/ |url-status=live }} Although Zin gave numerous different accounts about the crime, she nonetheless admitted to killing the victim and also raised the instances where she was abused by the deceased for some time prior to the stabbing,{{cite news |last=Tang |first=Louisa |date=9 November 2021 |title=Maid on trial for murdering employer's elderly mother-in-law who allegedly abused her |url=https://www.todayonline.com/singapore/maid-trial-murdering-employers-elderly-mother-law-who-allegedly-abused-her |website=TODAY |access-date=20 May 2023 |archive-date=20 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230520111051/https://www.todayonline.com/singapore/maid-trial-murdering-employers-elderly-mother-law-who-allegedly-abused-her |url-status=live }} although the family of the deceased testified that Zin looked normal the day before the murder, and stated that they had a cordial relationship with the maid.{{cite news |last=Lum |first=Selina |date=6 January 2022 |title=Maid on trial for murdering employer's mother-in-law was 'normal' the day before |url=https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/courts-crime/maid-on-trial-for-murdering-employers-mother-in-law-was-normal-the-day-before |website=The Straits Times |access-date=20 May 2023 |archive-date=29 August 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240829031809/https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/courts-crime/maid-on-trial-for-murdering-employers-mother-in-law-was-normal-the-day-before |url-status=live }} Zin stated as a result of the threat of being sent back home and fear of incurring debts, she was triggered and lost control when killing the victim.

= Defence’s case =

Zin's main defence at trial was diminished responsibility. Dr Tommy Tan, the defence's psychiatrist, testified on behalf of Zin during the trial. He was of the opinion that Zin suffered from adjustment disorder with mixed anxiety and depressed mood, which were sufficient to impair her mental responsibility at the time of the crime, and rendered Zin not fully conscious of what she was doing, since she was in a "dissociative state" and could not control or remember her acts when she was stabbing the victim. Christopher Bridges, the lawyer who was assigned by the state to defend Zin, sought to rely on Dr Tan's psychiatric report to reduce his client's charge of murder to culpable homicide not amounting to murder, a lesser offence of unlawful killing that warrants either a sentence of up to twenty years' imprisonment or life in prison.{{cite news |date=18 May 2023 |title=Myanmar domestic helper found guilty of murdering Singapore employer's elderly mother-in-law |website=South China Morning Post |url=https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3221074/myanmar-domestic-helper-found-guilty-murdering-singapore-employers-elderly-mother-law |access-date=20 May 2023 |archive-date=29 August 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240829031810/https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3221074/myanmar-domestic-helper-found-guilty-murdering-singapore-employers-elderly-mother-law |url-status=live }}

In response, Dr Alias Lijo, a government psychiatrist from the Institute of Mental Health (IMH), was called by the prosecution to testify on Zin's mental state. Dr Lijo rebutted that Zin did not suffer from diminished responsibility at the time of the murder, stating that she had full knowledge of the magnitude of her actions and never had any abnormality of the mind at the time of the stabbing.{{cite news |date= 18 May 2023 |url= https://www.singaporelawwatch.sg/Portals/0/Docs/Judgments/2023/%5B2023%5D%20SGHC%20146.pdf |website= Singapore Law Watch |title= Public Prosecutor v Zin Mar Nwe |access-date= 21 May 2023 |archive-date= 21 May 2023 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20230521020019/https://www.singaporelawwatch.sg/Portals/0/Docs/Judgments/2023/%5B2023%5D%20SGHC%20146.pdf |url-status= live }}

Trial verdict

=Conviction=

On 18 May 2023, after an 11-day trial that dragged on for more than a year, Justice Andre Maniam, the trial judge presiding over Zin Mar Nwe's case, delivered the verdict.

In his judgement, Justice Maniam stated that he rejected Zin Mar Nwe's defence of diminished responsibility. While he accepted some of Zin's claims that the victim had hit her and scolded her sometimes, Justice Maniam stated that Zin was able to tolerate these instances of mistreatment up until the threat of being sent back home, which triggered her to stab the old woman. The judge found that Zin was not in a dissociative state when she stabbed the victim, and he said Zin was able to intricately describe how she committed the crime and she was aware of what she was doing, and consciously took steps to plan and make her escape in the aftermath of the killing. Justice Maniam also pointed out that Zin had done the stabbing in a fit of anger rather than doing so under an impaired mental state, and described her decision to stab the deceased was an "emotional, irrational" one, which was why he chose to reject Dr Tan's evidence about Zin's alleged mental disorders and accepted Dr Lijo's testimony. Since Zin was conscious of her actions, and had intentionally stabbed the deceased and such that the injuries intentionally inflicted were in the ordinary course of nature to cause death, Justice Maniam found 22-year-old Zin Mar Nwe guilty of murder and convicted her as charged.{{cite news |last=Ting |first=Koh Wan |date=18 May 2023 |title=Maid found guilty of murdering employer's 70-year-old mother-in-law |url=https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/maid-convicted-murder-employer-mother-law-stabbing-3491341 |website=CNA |access-date=20 May 2023 |archive-date=20 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230520111049/https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/maid-convicted-murder-employer-mother-law-stabbing-3491341 |url-status=live }}{{cite news |date=18 May 2023 |title=17岁缅甸女佣捅死雇主七旬岳母被判罪成 |website=8World News |language=zh |url=https://www.8world.com/singapore/myanmar-maid-kill-employers-mother-in-law-plead-guilty-2136426 |access-date=20 May 2023 |archive-date=20 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230520112601/https://www.8world.com/singapore/myanmar-maid-kill-employers-mother-in-law-plead-guilty-2136426 |url-status=live }}{{cite news |date=18 May 2023 |title=26刀捅死男雇主岳母女佣谋杀罪成立 |website=Lianhe Zaobao |language=zh |url=https://www.zaobao.com.sg/realtime/singapore/story20230518-1395937 |access-date=20 May 2023 |archive-date=20 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230520111051/https://www.zaobao.com.sg/realtime/singapore/story20230518-1395937 |url-status=live }}

Upon her conviction for murder under Section 300(c) of the Penal Code, Zin Mar Nwe faced a possible death sentence or life imprisonment with caning under Section 302(2) of the Penal Code.{{cite news |date=18 May 2023 |url=https://www.elitigation.sg/gd/s/2023_SGHC_146 |website=Supreme Court judgements |title=Public Prosecutor v Zin Mar Nwe |access-date=20 May 2023 |archive-date=20 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230520111051/https://www.elitigation.sg/gd/s/2023_SGHC_146 |url-status=live }} However, Zin Mar Nwe cannot be caned as she is a woman.{{Cite web |url=https://singaporelegaladvice.com/law-articles/caning-singapore-judicial-school-parental-corporal-punishment/ |title=Caning in Singapore: Judicial, School & Parental Corporal Punishment |date=22 April 2019 |website=Singapore Legal Advice |access-date=24 May 2023 |archive-date=5 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230405200047/https://singaporelegaladvice.com/law-articles/caning-singapore-judicial-school-parental-corporal-punishment/ |url-status=live }}

Sentencing was adjourned to a later date and the prosecution and defence were given four weeks' time to file closing submissions on the sentence. Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Kumaresan Gohulabalan, who led the trial prosecution with his colleague Sean Teh, expressed that they would not seek the death penalty in Zin's case.{{cite news |date=18 May 2023 |title=Maid found guilty of murdering employer's 70-year-old mother-in-law |website=TODAY |url=https://www.todayonline.com/singapore/maid-found-guilty-murdering-employers-70-year-old-mother-law-2174166 |access-date=20 May 2023 |archive-date=20 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230520111049/https://www.todayonline.com/singapore/maid-found-guilty-murdering-employers-70-year-old-mother-law-2174166 |url-status=live }}{{cite news |date=18 May 2023 |title=Maid found guilty of murdering employer's mother-in-law |website=AsiaOne |url=https://www.asiaone.com/singapore/maid-found-guilty-murdering-employers-mother-law |access-date=20 May 2023 |archive-date=20 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230520130916/https://www.asiaone.com/singapore/maid-found-guilty-murdering-employers-mother-law |url-status=live }} In fact, under the existing laws of Singapore, the death penalty was prohibited in cases where the offender was below 18 years old at the time when they committed murder or other capital crimes. Since Zin was 17 years old when she murdered the elderly woman, she would not be eligible for the death penalty. The only other possible sentence she could receive in this case was life imprisonment.{{Cite web|url=https://singaporelegaladvice.com/law-articles/life-imprisonment-singapore-faqs/|title=How Long Is Life Imprisonment in Singapore? And Other FAQs|date=1 February 2021|website=Singapore Legal Advice|access-date=20 May 2023|archive-date=8 April 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230408091042/https://singaporelegaladvice.com/law-articles/life-imprisonment-singapore-faqs/|url-status=live}}{{cite news |url=https://www.malaymail.com/news/singapore/2023/07/04/teen-maid-in-singapore-escapes-gallows-gets-life-imprisonment-for-stabbing-employers-mother-in-law-to-death/77770 |title=Teen maid in Singapore escapes gallows, gets life imprisonment for stabbing employer's mother-in-law to death |website=Malay Mail |date=4 July 2023 |access-date=4 July 2023 |archive-date=4 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230704155533/https://www.malaymail.com/news/singapore/2023/07/04/teen-maid-in-singapore-escapes-gallows-gets-life-imprisonment-for-stabbing-employers-mother-in-law-to-death/77770 |url-status=live }}

=Sentence=

On 4 July 2023, 22-year-old Zin Mar Nwe was officially sentenced to life imprisonment by the High Court.{{cite news |url=https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/courts-crime/myanmar-maid-who-stabbed-employer-s-mum-in-law-26-times-gets-life-term-for-murder |title=Myanmar maid who stabbed employer's mum-in-law 26 times gets life term for murder |website=The Straits Times |date=4 July 2023 |access-date=4 July 2023 |archive-date=4 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230704035406/https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/courts-crime/myanmar-maid-who-stabbed-employer-s-mum-in-law-26-times-gets-life-term-for-murder |url-status=live }}{{cite news |url=https://tnp.straitstimes.com/news/singapore/myanmar-maid-who-stabbed-employers-mum-law-26-times-gets-life-term-murder |title=Myanmar maid who stabbed employer's mum-in-law 26 times gets life term for murder |website=The New Paper |date=4 July 2023 |access-date=4 July 2023 |archive-date=29 August 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240829031809/https://tnp.straitstimes.com/news/singapore/myanmar-maid-who-stabbed-employers-mum-law-26-times-gets-life-term-murder |url-status=live }}

The trial judge Andre Maniam noted during sentencing that in accordance to Section 314 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CPC), Zin Mar Nwe cannot be sentenced to death because she was under 18 years old when committing the murder, and thus Justice Maniam could only spare the former maid from the gallows and instead, he meted out a life sentence for Zin Mar Nwe, which was the only sentence permissible by law in her case.{{cite news |date=4 July 2023 |title=26刀捅死雇主岳母缅籍女佣终生监禁 |website=Sin Chew Daily |language=zh |url=https://johor.sinchew.com.my/20230704/26%E5%88%80%E6%8D%85%E6%AD%BB%E9%9B%87%E4%B8%BB%E5%B2%B3%E6%AF%8D-%E7%BC%85%E7%B1%8D%E5%A5%B3%E4%BD%A3%E7%BB%88%E7%94%9F%E7%9B%91%E7%A6%81/ |access-date=4 July 2023 |archive-date=4 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230704083337/https://johor.sinchew.com.my/20230704/26%E5%88%80%E6%8D%85%E6%AD%BB%E9%9B%87%E4%B8%BB%E5%B2%B3%E6%AF%8D-%E7%BC%85%E7%B1%8D%E5%A5%B3%E4%BD%A3%E7%BB%88%E7%94%9F%E7%9B%91%E7%A6%81/ |url-status=live }}{{cite news|date=4 July 2023|title=Domestic worker, 22, gets life imprisonment for stabbing S'pore employer's mom-in-law 26 times|work=Mothership|url=https://mothership.sg/2023/07/maid-sentenced-to-life-murder/|access-date=4 July 2023|archive-date=4 July 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230704125413/https://mothership.sg/2023/07/maid-sentenced-to-life-murder/|url-status=live}} He also considered the prosecutor Sean Teh's contention that they did not object to a life term in view of the evidence which proved that the defendant was a minor at the time of the offence.{{cite news|url=https://www.todayonline.com/singapore/teen-maid-escapes-gallows-gets-life-imprisonment-stabbing-employers-mother-law-death-2204311 |title=Teen maid escapes gallows, gets life imprisonment for stabbing employer's mother-in-law to death |website=TODAY |date=4 July 2023}}

Prior to her sentencing, Zin submitted a letter pleading for a second chance and her lawyers emphasized Zin's homesickness and longing for her boyfriend and parents (who were still in Myanmar). Reportedly, Zin consulted her lawyers about her option to appeal the verdict after the end of her court session.{{cite news |url=https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/maid-murder-26-stab-wounds-zin-mar-nwe-3604246 |title=Maid sentenced to life imprisonment for murdering 70-year-old woman by stabbing her 26 times |website=CNA |date=4 July 2023 |access-date=4 July 2023 |archive-date=4 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230704032912/https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/maid-murder-26-stab-wounds-zin-mar-nwe-3604246 |url-status=live }}{{cite news |date=4 July 2023 |title=Amah dihukum penjara seumur hidup; tikam wanita 70 tahun 26 kali sampai mati |website=Berita MediaCorp |language=Malay |url=https://berita.mediacorp.sg/singapura/amah-dihukum-penjara-seumur-hidup-tikam-wanita-70-tahun-26-kali-sampai-mati-768006 |access-date=4 July 2023 |archive-date=29 August 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240829031813/https://berita.mediacorp.sg/singapura/amah-dihukum-penjara-seumur-hidup-tikam-wanita-70-tahun-26-kali-sampai-mati-768006 |url-status=live }}

Appeal

After the end of her trial, Zin Mar Nwe filed an appeal to the Court of Appeal.

During the appeal hearing, leading criminal lawyer Josephus Tan and his colleague Cory Wong, who represented Zin in her appeal, argued that Zin had killed the 70-year-old victim under sudden and grave provocation, and combined with the mistreatment she faced from the victim and the many times she had changed employers in Singapore, the victim's threat to send her back to Myanmar was the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back, although the prosecution responded that the act itself was not provocative enough to cause Zin to lose her self-control and kill the victim, and stated that there was no concrete evidence to show that Zin had been a victim of maid abuse.{{cite news|title=Maid who stabbed employer’s mother-in-law 26 times has murder charge reduced on appeal|url=https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/courts-crime/maid-who-stabbed-employers-mother-in-law-26-times-has-murder-charge-reduced-on-appeal|work=The Straits Times|date=14 May 2025}}{{cite news|title=被控杀害雇主七旬岳母女佣上诉得直谋杀罪改为误杀|url=https://www.8world.com/singapore/maid-gets-murder-conviction-reduced-on-appeal-2791611|work=8 World News |language=zh|date=14 May 2025}}

On 14 May 2025, nearly two years after Zin was first convicted of murder, the Court of Appeal delivered its verdict, downgrading her murder conviction to culpable homicide not amounting to murder, also known as manslaughter. Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon, who heard the appeal with High Court judge See Kee Oon and Judge of Appeal Tay Yong Kwang, stated in the verdict that they accepted the defence of sudden and grave provocation, pointing out that Zin was of relatively young age and harboured the fear of returning home in heavy debt, and the circumstances of her situation up until the murder would have reasonably provoked a person in Zin's position.{{cite news|title=Maid who stabbed 70-year-old woman 26 times gets murder conviction reduced on appeal|url=https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/zin-mar-nwe-maid-stab-woman-26-times-appeal-murder-grave-sudden-provocation-5129481|work=CNA|date=14 May 2025}}{{cite news|title=Maid who stabbed employer's mother-in-law 26 times has murder charge reduced on appeal|url=https://www.tnp.sg/news/maid-who-stabbed-employers-mother-law-26-times-has-murder-charge-reduced-appeal|work=The New Paper|date=14 May 2025}}

Effectively, the reduction of Zin's murder conviction also vacated the life sentence she received for murder. Zin's re-sentencing hearing was adjourned to a later date by the Court of Appeal to allow time for both sides to make submissions. Under Singaporean law, the sentence for manslaughter was either life imprisonment or up to 20 years in prison.{{cite news|title=Maid who stabbed Singapore employer’s mum-in-law gets murder charge reduced on provocation appeal|url=https://www.malaymail.com/news/singapore/2025/05/15/maid-who-stabbed-singapore-employers-mum-in-law-gets-murder-charge-reduced-on-provocation-appeal/176828|work=Malay Mail|date=14 May 2025}}

Aftermath

In the aftermath of her murder trial in 2023, the case of Zin Mar Nwe also shed light on the phenomenon of underaged maids being employed in Singapore despite the stringent background checks and regulations set to detect underaged maids, and it was found that most of these maids (most of them hailed from Myanmar) were told by their agents to lie about their ages to gain employment in Singapore. The Ministry of Manpower released their data which showed that from 2018 to 2022, the authorities detected around six underage foreign domestic workers per 10,000 such workers in Singapore during that period, in spite of the decline in the number of underage maids detected in the previous three years.{{cite news|url=https://www.todayonline.com/singapore/maid-agencies-find-various-ways-sieve-out-underage-candidates-even-mom-sees-fewer-cases-2209791 |title=Maid agencies find various ways to sieve out underage candidates, even as MOM sees fewer cases |website=TODAY |date=12 July 2023}}{{cite news |url=https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/underage-maids-migrant-domestic-workers-mom-agencies-problems-3655476 |title=IN FOCUS: Why do underage maids risk working illegally in Singapore, and how do they slip through the cracks? |website=CNA |date=29 July 2023 |access-date=29 July 2023 |archive-date=29 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230729030615/https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/underage-maids-migrant-domestic-workers-mom-agencies-problems-3655476 |url-status=live }}

Not only that, due to the high-profile nature of Zin’s case, observers who spoke to the national newspaper The Straits Times expressed that based on the situation of the foreign maids in Singapore (268,500 of them as of December 2022), many had faced significant stressors from the multiple responsibilities they need to fulfill, including household duties and meeting expectations of their employers, and it was especially so should it be taking care of the elderly or special needs children, or the maids being either not skilled enough or too young (since younger maids did not have sufficient maturity and lesser self-confidence than the older ones). First-time maids were also noted for having a lack of community bonds in a foreign country and not having friends to seek help or release their stress. Some maids may also find it difficult to adjust to moving from a rural living environment to an urban living environment, and the lack of family support, learning a new language and other factors also add to their emotional struggles, which was the case for Zin Mar Nwe, who had to travel alone from Myanmar to Singapore, where she worked with a salary of S$450 which her family placed total dependence upon.

It was further revealed by the same newspaper that since 2012, there have been 11 reported cases of maids found guilty of killing their employer or the employer's family member, including Zin herself. Seven of these maids were below the age of 25, and four were 18 years old or younger. According to Zin’s lawyer Christopher Bridges, many maids who suffered from mistreatment had to suppress their distress and emotions for fear of being sent back home, and for Zin, the threat of being sent back to Myanmar and incurring debts from her return, compounded by her financial woes and the abuse, had become the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back, resulting in Zin becoming overwhelmed with anger and thus murdering the 70-year-old victim.{{cite news |url=https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/courts-crime/maids-face-significant-stress-from-juggling-multiple-responsibilities-observers |title=Maids face significant stress from juggling multiple responsibilities: Observers |website=The Straits Times |date=16 July 2023 |access-date=16 July 2023 |archive-date=16 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230716131427/https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/courts-crime/maids-face-significant-stress-from-juggling-multiple-responsibilities-observers |url-status=live }}