Singaporean woman killed in Spain: Prosecution asks court to charge suspect with murder
The private prosecution says there is “sufficient evidence” to bring Mitchell Ong to trial for killing Ms Audrey Fang, but the defence called for an independent analysis of his phone.SINGAPORE: Prosecutors in Spain are seeking a murder charge against a man who is suspected of killing a Singaporean woman in the country, reported local media.
Mitchell Ong, also a Singaporean, is suspected of killing 39-year-old Audrey Fang, whose body was found with 30 stab wounds on Apr 10, 2024.
Ong was arrested six days later after camera footage showed Ms Fang being picked up from her hotel in a car thought to be driven by him.
According to local news site La Verdad, lawyers from the Spanish public prosecutor's office and the private prosecution appeared in court on Thursday (Feb 20), asking that Ong be charged with murder.
The private prosecution said there was “sufficient evidence of criminality” to bring Ong to trial.
However, the defence requested that the case be dismissed and called for new proceedings, including an independent expert analysis of Ong’s phone and his own testimony. Ong has remained silent since his arrest.
He is currently remanded in custody, pending investigations, and will reportedly remain in jail due to the seriousness of the offence.
WHAT HAPPENED
Ms Fang had been travelling alone in Spain when her body was found near a parking area for lorries in the town of Abanilla.A preliminary autopsy report found that knife wounds and head trauma were the cause of her death, it was reported.
Closed-circuit television cameras at the hotel where Ong was staying captured him leaving at around 5.45pm on Apr 9, dressed in a hoodie and black pants.
The private prosecutors said that Ong drove Ms Fang to a parking lot near a restaurant in Abanilla at around 11pm on Apr 9, before the car left at 11.45pm.
Ms Fang was no longer in the car by the time it left the carpark, La Verdad cited the prosecutors as saying.
Ong returned to the hotel at around 2am on Apr 10, wearing jeans and a blue sweater.
Spanish police have proven that both Ms Fang's and Ong's mobile phones were together in Abanilla on the day she died, local newspaper Levante El Mercantil Valenciano previously reported.
According to the judge overseeing the case, it is inferred “without a doubt” that both Singaporeans were in the same area and in the same time slot on the day the crime was committed, based on data provided by mobile phone operators in Abanilla.
Ong and Ms Fang had known each other for more than 10 years and he was made a beneficiary of her Central Provident Fund (CPF) - a mandatory social security savings scheme - about six months before her death.
Around the time Ms Fang nominated Ong as her beneficiary, almost S$200,000 (US$148,000) was deposited into her CPF account.
Mr Manuel Martinez, the lawyer representing Ms Fang’s family, said previously that the 39-year-old’s CPF account has more than €430,000 (US$462,000).
PRIVATE PROSECUTION
Mr Manuel Martinez, the lawyer representing the family, said on Thursday that Ong’s alleged crime was committed “with premeditation and cruelty”.Reports from the Judicial Police of the Civil Guard and the judicial investigation provide sufficient evidence against Ong, he argued.
According to La Verdad, the lawyer said there were several aggravating factors to be considered.
Mr Martínez pointed out that the victim had travelled "unexpectedly" to Spain, specifically to Alicante, in April 2024, and that her close relatives were unaware of the reason for her trip.
He also stressed that she seemingly travelled at Ong’s request and that evidence shows they stayed at a hotel and dined together on multiple occasions.
Mr Martinez also argued that there was evidence of an emotional relationship between the two, but they were not an "official couple", it was reported.
The lawyer also said Ong was financially motivated since Ms Fang had made him her CPF beneficiary.
According to the report, the defence lawyer argued that it was necessary to carry out various tests in the case, and that Ong has lost contact with his family.
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/sin...n-murder-charge-spain-court-4949681?cid=FBcna
