SUNGAI PETANI: A 34-year-old man was charged at the Magistrate's Court here today with the murder of two-year-old boy Muhammad Qhairullah Abd Hadi at the Paya Nahu Flats last month.
Mohd Affendi Fauzi Ramlee, who was charged under Section 302 of the Penal Code, is staring at the death penalty if found guilty.
He is accused of committing the murder between 8am on Oct 24 and 2am on Oct 27 7 at Block A14, at thr Paya Nahu Flats here.
Clad in a blue T-shirt and black shorts, the accused, who is unemployed, appeared calm when the court interpreter read the charge to him.
No plea was recorded from the accused. He was not represented.
Magistrate Adibah Husna Zainal Abidin fixed Jan 22 for mention pending chemist and post-mortem reports.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Izzah Munirah Mansor prosecuted.
It is learnt that the victim's mother is being detained by the Narcotics Investigation Department for drug abuse.
It was reported that police had detained the mother of two and her boyfriend following the gruesome discovery of the boy's decomposing body stuffed in a cooler box on Nov 26.
Both tested positive for drug abuse when they were detained. It was believed that the boy had died of abuse two weeks prior to the discovery.
The victim's four-year-old sister, who suffered multiple injuries due to abuses, is being treated at the Sultan Abdul Halim Hospital.
TIMELINE OF EVENTS
Nov 24:
• Early in the morning, the boy's mother had knocked on her neighbour's door at Block A14, pleading for help saying that her four-year-old daughter was in critical condition. She claimed that her boyfriend had been abusing her daughter.
• Kuala Muda district police received a distress call at 1.25am. A police team rushed to the scene and found the girl, who was barely conscious wit bruises on her face. She was taken to the Sultan Abdul Halim Hospital.
• Inspecting the home, police discovered the decomposing body of a two-year-old boy stuffed in a cooler box inside a room. The body was wrapped and taped in a thin mattress, which was then covered with cube ice.
• At 6am, police detained the 34-year-old boyfriend and the children's mother. Both tested positive for drugs and were subsequently remanded for a week.
• The woman claimed that her boyfriend had beaten her son to death on Nov 9.
• Police classified the case as murder, which carries the death penalty upon conviction.
Nov 30:
• Police obtained a remand extension against the couple to complete the investigation, pending a full autopsy report on the boy's death.
Dec 1:
• State Health Department director Datuk Dr Norhizan Ismail said the girl was out of danger and is recuperating well at the Sultan Abdul Halim Hospital. He said the girl was showing positive signs and was able to open her eyes again.
Dec 6:
• Police are set to charge suspect(s) in custody in connection with the boy's death.