Five months later, with the assistance from the Malaysian police, a suspect was finally arrested and brought back to Singapore to be charged with the brutal rape-murder of Tan.

Just as they scouted the area, they discovered a half-naked decomposing female corpse inside the abandoned building; the woman laid in a pool of blood with a chair covering her head.

[20][21][22][23] Lim Lye Hock, born in 1960, grew up in the same kampong as Tan Hui Ngin and they became friends from a young age.

[24] According to his wife Tee Guat Kiyau (张月娇 Zhāng Yuèjiāo) and stepbrother Chng Soon Huat, Lim was often violent and would pick either quarrels or fights with people.

Lim had once used a chair to brutally hit his younger sister and it caused her to suffer a permanent spinal injury, and he often abused his wife severely.

[25] On 24 March 1993, 33-year-old Lim Lye Hock stood trial at the High Court for the murder of Tan Hui Ngin.

[30][31] Tee Guat Kiyau, Lim's wife who was a Malaysian, was another crucial witness for the prosecution, as she heard her husband confessing to her about killing Tan.

[32][33] In testifying against her husband, Tee stated that on the day of the murder, Lim returned home after killing Tan and he told his wife he wanted to flee to Malaysia, since he was allegedly chased by illegal moneylenders over his debts.

On the stand, Tee additionally stated her husband was "more than a beast" and he should pay for his crime, and that she was compelled to tell the truth after embracing her newly-found Christian beliefs.

Lim claimed a struggle ensued between himself and Tan, and he used the stick to hit her during the fight, before she finally collapsed and he used a chair to cover her face.

However, the prosecution's psychiatrist, Dr Ang Ah Ling, revealed that Lim was perfectly normal and although he may be violent, he was fully in control of himself and could decide his actions or stop himself even when he was armed with weapons and about to assault anyone in an outburst.

[44] On 1 December 1993, after a trial lasting three weeks, 33-year-old Lim Lye Hock was found guilty of murder and sentenced to death.

He was also persuaded by Dr Ang Ah Ling's psychiatric report that Lim's mental responsibility was not affected by intermittent explosive disorder at the time he killed Tan, and he was capable of realizing the full magnitude of his actions and self-control.