The murderer, identified as Seah Kok Meng (佘国明 Shé Guómíng), fled Singapore for Malaysia, where he remained in hiding for a year before his arrest in May 2000.

[6] An autopsy was conducted by forensic pathologist Dr Paul Chui, and he found three severe skull fractures on Salim's head, and each of these injuries were sufficient in the ordinary course of nature to cause death.

Aside from the skull fractures, Dr Chui found injuries over Salim's right shoulder, chest, right forearm, right thigh and right ankle.

The police conducted their investigations to identify the assailant(s) and interview the witnesses, including the owner of the coffeeshop, with regards to the fatal assault of Salim.

However, Seah was no longer in Singapore by the time the police established his identity, and efforts were made to trace his whereabouts and arrest.

[16][17] On 14 November 2000, Seah Kok Meng was officially brought to trial for the murder of S. Salim Ahmad at the High Court.

Bok, who was then in prison for drug-related offences, was summoned as a witness,[18] and she testified that on the night before the incident, after she argued with her boyfriend and was left alone, she decided to head to a coffeeshop at the junction of Sims Avenue and Lorong 5, where Seah was a regular patron.

Bok sat down at a vacant table inside the shop and tried calling her boyfriend, and Salim asked her repeatedly to go home with him.

About ten to 15 minutes after the phone call, Seah arrived at the shop, and he probed her on where and who was the man that harassed her, and Bok pointed at Salim.

[21][22][23] Based on the other evidence adduced by the prosecution, Seah left for Malaysia a day after the killing, and he remained on the run for one year before he was caught in May 2000.

It was also revealed in court that Chan was arrested in November 1999 at the Woodlands Checkpoint for his connection to the crime but ultimately, he was let off after no further action was taken against him.

On the stand, Seah testified that he never intended to cause death due to alcohol intoxication, and he only acted in both self-defense and a sudden and grave provocation.

Feeling frightened, Seah thus headed to the back lane behind the coffeeshop and he picked up a wooden plank, and he wanted to use it for self-defense in case he and Salim might have a fight.

Seah replied during the prosecution's questioning that Salim's attempt to fight might have not been recorded by the police investigators, although this was not put to Inspector Ang or the interpreter.

At the time of Seah's sentencing, the Singaporean law allowed the mandatory death penalty for murder upon an offender's conviction.

In a judgement dated 21 May 2001, the three appellate judges - Chief Justice Yong Pung How, Justice L P Thean (Thean Lip Ping) and Justice Chao Hick Tin - stated that they agreed with the original trial judge Kan Ting Chiu that Seah indeed retained his self-control at the time of the murder and while he may not have intended to cause death during the battering of the victim S. Salim Ahmad, he had the clear intention to cause the skull fractures that ultimately led to the death of Salim.