Funeral director slapped with culpable homicide of former boyfriend

Singapore—A woman was charged with one count of culpable homicide not amounting to murder on Thursday (Dec 3) over the death of her former boyfriend earlier this year.

Thirty-eight-year-old Alverna Cher Sheue Pin, the founder of City Funeral Singapore and a single mother of two girls, has been accused of committing an unspecified act that resulted in the death of Wee Jun Xiang, 32, on May 16 between 1.44 pm and 5.15 pm at Deck 4B of the multi-story car park at Block 145A Bedok Reservoir Road.

According to the charge sheet, Ms Cher intended to cause the demise of her former partner, reported CNA.

At 5:30 pm on May 16, the police were alerted to a case of unnatural death at around 5.30 pm. Later, Mr Wee was pronounced dead on the scene.

After follow-up investigations were carried out, Ms Cher was arrested due to her suspected involvement in his demise.

Mr Wee, a composer who also went by the name Sean and who released a single in Mandarin called “You Are Gone” in March, was reported by the Chinese-language media to have suddenly died of a heart attack.

His family claimed that at the time of his death he was working from home, as Singapore was still under Circuit Breaker restrictions to prevent the spread of Covid-19 infections.

Ms Cher runs City Funeral Singapore Pte Ltd and has two daughters, aged six and 13. According to a report from TODAY, she took over the business from the father of her younger child, who had gone to jail just after Ms Cher had given birth, one month after it was founded.

She is divorced from the father of her older daughter.

City Funeral Singapore had also been part of the funeral of actor Aloysuis Pang, who died in an accident during reservist training for the Singapore Army early in 2019.

Ms Cher previously worked in recruitment and as an education coach.

She received the charge against her via video-link and then asked permission to make three phone calls so she could get a lawyer and so money can be sent to her family.

“I’m a single mum and the sole breadwinner, so I really need to pass money to my parents,” she said, also saying that her mother suffered a stroke in the past.

However, the police prosecutor raised an objection to this, since investigations are still ongoing, and Ms Cher is involved in a capital case and asked that she be kept in remand for one week.

District Judge Brenda Tan answered that the investigation officer will assist with notifying the family and seeing to “necessary arrangements”.

If Ms Cher is convicted of culpable homicide, she could receive a life sentence, or a fine and a jail term of as long as 20 years. If she were male, she could have received a caning as well.

She is due back in court on Dec 10. —/TISG