River Valley High School murder

The River Valley High School murder took place on 19 July 2021. On that day, a thirteen-year old, Secondary One male student, Ethan Hun Ze Kai (Chinese: 韩喆凯; pinyin: Hán Zhékǎi) , was struck to death with an axe at River Valley High School in Boon Lay, Singapore. The culprit is a sixteen-year-old Secondary Four male student, who was arrested shortly after the incident, which was reportedly unprecedented in the history of Singapore.

Background

Earlier behaviour

The culprit had made two attempts at suicide in 2019 and was then assessed by the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) to have an adjustment reaction, as revealed by his lawyer, Sunil Sudheesan. In April 2020, the culprit started watching videos depicting actual scenes of human death. Later in January 2021, the culprit felt overwhelmed during the new school term and thought about committing suicide. As he failed in his previous suicide attempts, he felt the only way he could overcome the psychological barrier of taking his own life was by getting someone else to kill him, which he then decided to perform killing spree in school which he believe it would make the police shoot him.

Murder plan

Between February 2021 and March 2021, the culprit wrote two poems that alluded to mass killings conducted in a school. Then between March 2021 and July 2021, he searched online for info about stabbings, school shootings and attacks, and suicide. He also wrote a note on his mobile phone dated 5 July 2021, which stated his intent at suicide. On 6 March 2021, he bought a tomahawk axe from a store, then on 17 March 2021, he bought a Cold Steel Trench Hawk axe measuring 50cm by 22cm and a sharpener from a second store. In April 2021, he bought a Morakniv bushcraft stainless steel knife measuring 23.5cm by 4cm from a third store. He also sent the axes and knife for sharpening at a store offering sharpening services and bought a badminton racquet bag to hide the weapons.

Attack and aftermath

On 14 July 2021, the culprit arrived in school earlier than usual, with the Trench Hawk axe, the knife and the badminton racquet bag, as well as a roll of "caution tape" in his backpack. He went to a toilet in the school and cordoned off the corridor with the tape to prevent other students from entering. He then hid the bag containing the weapons under a sink, and returned to his classroom. He had waited in a toilet cubicle for an opportune time to attack someone.

Later on 19 July 2021, he again left the bag of weapons under a sink and pasted the “caution tape” across the corridor before returning to his classroom. He later returned to the toilet at about 11:15 a.m., the tape was hanging from only one side of the wall at that time, and there were students in the toilet. He waited for them to leave, then closed the toilet door and windows to prevent the prospective victim’s screams from being heard. At about 11:30 a.m., after the victim, Ethan, entered the toilet, the culprit went out to paste the tape across the corridor. He then attacked Ethan, and he reportedly said "I’m sorry" afterwards.

A group of students encountered the culprit outside the toilet at 11:35 a.m. with an axe. When the culprit asked them to call the police, the students retreated to their classroom and instated a lockdown drill. The culprit then went to a classroom to make the same request, upon which the second group also instated a lockdown. Both groups alerted their teachers.

A teacher confronted the culprit and requested that the axe be placed on the floor. The culprit complied with the instruction and was escorted to a meeting room. The victim—a thirteen-year-old, Secondary One male student—was then found dead inside the toilet, having suffered multiple wounds allegedly caused by the axe.

The culprit was subsequently arrested by the Singapore Police Force. The entire school was placed into lockdown until around 3:30 p.m. As the following day was Hari Raya Haji, a public holiday, students returned to the school on 21 July. In the days following the attack, counselling was provided for nearly 540 students and teachers, while personnel from the Ministry of Education took over some classes.

Investigation and lawsuit

According to a statement released by the Singapore Police Force several hours after the incident, preliminary investigations revealed that the two male teenagers are not known to each other." It was also revealed that the culprit had previously attempted suicide two years before and had been remanded in the Institute of Mental Health. He is alleged to have procured the axe used in the attack online. According to Channel 8 News, the culprit had simply wanted to attack the first person to enter the toilet.

The Secondary Four student, who cannot be named due to Singaporean law on account of his age, was charged with murder on 20 July and remanded at the Complex Medical Centre within Changi Prison for psychiatric evaluation. As a minor, he is protected by the Children and Young Persons Act and cannot be sentenced to death if found guilty of the murder charge, with the maximum sentence being life imprisonment. Criminal lawyer Peter Fernando was assigned to defend the culprit in his trial.

On 10 August, a fresh court order was issued to extend the culprit's period of psychiatric remand by another two weeks. By then, Fernando had been replaced by Diana Ngiam and Sunil Sudheesan. The culprit was allowed a phone call with his family three days later. He was further remanded on 24 August 2021 for seven days, even though he had completed his psychiatric evaluations. On 31 August, his case was adjourned to 19 October. No date for his trial was scheduled at present. It was also revealed the culprit had been allowed to meet his family, and that he would be transferred to Changi Prison.

On 30 December 2022, it was reported that the boy remained in remand pending trial, and under the arrangements made between the prison authorities and the boy's lawyer Sunil Sudheesan, the teenager had taken his O-levels as a private candidate while behind bars in November 2022. His case was expected to be heard on 25 January 2023.

On 24 February 2023, the murder charge against the student, who turned 18 in January, was reduced to culpable homicide not amounting to murder, an offence which was punishable by life imprisonment or up to twenty years in prison, in addition to caning. The reason was reportedly due to the culprit suffered from severe depression when committing the murder.

The boy was set to plead guilty in August 2023 to the reduced charge. He was also found to have been suffering from clinical depression at the time of the incident after he was assessed by Institute of Mental Health (IMH) doctors.

Sentence

The prosecution, sought 12 to 16 years' jail for the offender, and the defence had asked for 5 years' imprisonment. On 1 December 2023, the judge sentenced the offender to 16 years of imprisonment. On the same day, the court lifted the gag order on the identity of the victim, Ethan Hun Zhe Kai, at the request of his parents. The offender's parents was also reportedly wrote Ethan's family a letter of apology shortly after their son was killed and Ethan's parent reportedly forgive the offender.

The culprit's defence lawyer, Sunil Sudheesan, said he would file an appeal against the sentence, describing the 16-year jail term as "crushing" for the young offender.

Appeal

The culprit filed an appeal to reduce jail term and attended the Court of Appeal on 1 July 2024. His lawyer, Sunil Sudheesan and Joyce Khoo from Quahe Woo & Palmer, argued for his jail term of 16 years to be reduced to eight to 10 years instead. Sudheesan described the sentence as manifestly excessive and centred his arguments around his client's depression, which had resulted in two suicide attempts before the incident, and further claimed that the culprit's decision on the day of the incident was "an irrational solution to his intention of suicide".

After the hearing ended, with judgment reserved, the appellant's family members crowded around him where he sat behind a wall of glass in the dock in handcuffs. They pushed their fingers through the slit in the glass to hold his hands and spoke fervently to him until they had to leave.

The case was adjourned pending the decision by the Court of Appeal.

Responses

Government officials

According to local newspaper The Straits Times, the attack was unprecedented in the history of Singapore. Both Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Minister for Education Chan Chun Sing wrote on Facebook that they were "shocked", while the Ministry of Education and River Valley High School said that they were "deeply saddened" by the incident. President Halimah Yacob opined that "parents, schools and our society are ill-equipped to deal with this situation." Minister for Law and Home Affairs K. Shanmugam said that it was "difficult to even describe the true extent of their (the victim's parents') grief". Several other Cabinet members and local religious leaders also publicly commented on the attack.

The attack sparked concerns over mental health in Singapore. Member of Parliament Patrick Tay questioned the decision to return students to school a day after the attack. Minister for Education Chan Chun Sing defended his decision and replied that the ministry had decided that it was better for the students to grieve together than alone at home. Students were allowed to stay home if they chose.

In a Ministerial Statement, Minister for Education Chan Chun Sing announced on 27 July the removal of Common Last Topics from the GCE N, O and A-Levels, and some topics from the final year examinations "to help ease stress". Measures were also put in place, including having all teachers equipped with enhanced mental health literacy, boosting the number of teacher-counsellors from 700 in 2021 to more than 1,000 several years later, recruiting more school counsellors or redeploying teachers to these roles, resuming CCAs at the secondary and pre-university level due to vaccinations, and dedicating more time to check on students' well-being. Measures to strengthen schools' security will be undertaken without eroding trust in the community. A buddy system was later proposed to be implemented in schools.

Controversy

MOE's mismanagement in student's mental health allegement

A 2-hour CARE programme was arranged for River Valley High School students after the attack occurred. A group of students reportedly criticised the programme for being “not well thought through”. A worksheet on coping mechanisms in which one of the strategies was “I was made for this challenge” was pointed out by student and remarked “…some if not all of us found this particular option very inappropriate as a coping mechanism. It had no substance in helping us cope with the situation but downplayed what we’ve gone through because of the one size fits all solution worksheet they offered.” and further remarked that “It felt like they just wanted to quickly pack matters up and move on”

Controversial remark by MOE official

About 97% of the River Valley High School students returned to school on Wednesday (21 July 2021) according to Wong Siew Hoong, the MOE's Director-General of Education at the time. Wong also made a statement praising the "resilience" of the students, stating that “we are proud of them”, when interviewed by the news media. The statement was criticised on the internet and some public disagreed, remarked that more time should be given to the students and parents for process the incident. Some public also commented on the internet that the students have "no choice".

Timeline

• 2021, the culprit begin planning to conduct murder in school. He also purchased several weapons between February and April.

• 14 July 2021, the culprit brought the weapons to school and attempted to conduct murder.

• 19 July 2021, the culprit struck a thirteen-year old Secondary One male student to death.

• 20 July 2021, No school lesson on this day as it is Hari Raya Haji, a public holiday in Singapore. The attacker was charged with murder on this day and remanded at the Complex Medical Centre within Changi Prison for psychiatric evaluation.

• 21 July 2021, River Valley High School students returned to the school.

• 27 July 2021, Ministry of Education removed certain Common Last Topics from the GCE N, O and A-Levels, and some topics from the final year examinations.

• 31 August 2021, court adjourned the case to 19 October.

• November 2022, The attacker had reportedly taken his O-levels as a private candidate while behind bars.

• 24 February 2023, the murder charge against the student, who turned 18 in January, was reduced to culpable homicide not amounting to murder.

• 1 December 2023, the culprit was sentenced to 16 years of imprisonment. Court lifted gag order on the identity of the victim.