A Nigerian man who killed his lover was sentenced to 12 years' jail yesterday after pleading guilty to culpable homicide.
Justice Lee Seiu Kin in High Court said that Amanchukwu Chukwuma, 28, had cruelly snuffed out" Ms Liu Shuhui's life, but the judge accepted that the killing of the woman - Amanchukwu's former lover - was not premeditated.
His lawyer, Mr Wendell Wong, argued that Amanchukwu never planned to kill Ms Liu. The judge agreed that he was provoked at the time of the incident.
However, Amanchukwu admitted to strangling Ms Liu after they became involved in a heated quarrel. Ms Liu's highly decomposed body was eventually found only in her underwear by a town council supervisor on December 29, 2009.
The court had heard that the couple, who entered into a relationship in April 2008, constantly argued. They were eventually evicted from a room they rented in Pending Road in Bukit Panjang because the landlord could not put up with their bickering.
While Ms Liu moved back to her parents' home, Amanchukwu erected a makeshift home at Bukit Panjang Park until November 2009.
But their relationship broke down and Ms Liu left Singapore for India with her new boyfriend, another Nigerian. Meanwhile, Amanchukwu moved into his new girlfriend's home in Boon Lay Drive.
The former couple kept in touch despite breaking up with each other, and they arranged to meet again in December 2009.
Court documents showed the couple had cheated another woman of $1,900, and he wanted to settle the problem by returning the money.
After meeting, they made their way to Bukit Panjang Park, but began quarrelling along the way.
Ms Liu called Amanchukwu 'a stupid man' and pointed her fingers at him.
He slapped her hands away but she kicked his groin. He then proceeded to punch her continuously to the ground, and strangled her until she lay motionless.
He then removed her clothes, leaving her in her underwear, before burning the garments at the scene.
Culpable homicide carries a maximum sentence of 20 years' jail and caning.
