Sympathy for a Murderer? Singapore’s Most Controversial Case

Around 2008, a Singaporean man named Xavier Yap was at the pinnacle of success. He was working for the Ministry of Defense in Singapore, and his career was flourishing. Later, he met a beautiful woman named Anna, and they decided to marry.

Anna was a divorced woman with a daughter from her previous marriage, but Xavier embraced this, and their love seemed undeniable.

By 2012, the couple welcomed twin boys, Ethan and Aston.

The young couple seemed very happy and enjoying life, however, soon after, problems began to arise in their relationship due to suspicions that the boys might have autism.

After a period of denial, they finally decided to consult doctors, who confirmed that the boys were indeed on the autism spectrum. Anna struggled to accept this reality, leading to frequent fights and arguments between her and Xavier.

Anna’s growing resentment turned into emotional and physical abuse toward the boys. She blamed Xavier for the situation, pushing him further into the background of family decision-making.

Xavier, on the other hand, was more accepting of the situation and took on the weight of caring for the boys. Anna, in complete denial, began to neglect the children entirely.

She began avoiding both Xavier and the children, her anger morphing into cold detachment.

The situation worsened when Anna started having an affair and decided to move on with her life, leaving Xavier to cope alone with the boys’ condition.

While navigating the divorce, Xavier sank into deep depression. Consumed by thoughts of his sons' future, he began to question who would care for them after his death. He feared they would be abandoned and ignored.

Xavier’s mental health deteriorated until a dark and horrific idea took root. He decided to end his sons’ lives and then take his own.

In 2022, when Ethan and Aston were 6 years old, Xavier took the boys for a walk to a secluded playground. There, he dragged them down to a canal. He first turned to one of the boys, using a stick to press against his neck before strangling him. To ensure his death, Xavier submerged the boy’s head in the canal water. The other child, watching quietly, in silence. Moments later, the second boy met the same tragic fate strangled and held underwater until he too died.

Ethan and Aston, both just 11 years old, died at the hands of their father.

Following the murders, Xavier attempted to take his own life several times. He tried using an ice pick, a tree branch, and even a rock but failed with each attempt.

Eventually, he called the police to report what had happened. Initially, he denied committing the crime and fabricated a different story about a male in his 40s with brown skin attacker his sons and run away.

However, inconsistencies in his account quickly emerged. As investigators delved further, Xavier became the prime suspect.

He eventually confessed.

On January 24, 2022, the 48-year-old Xavier was officially charged with murder. Up until this point, he had remained calm and composed he was hoping for a death penalty sentence, believing it would allow him to reunite with his sons in the afterlife.

However, during the investigation, officers noticed his fragile mental state, and thy transferred him to a medical complex and later to the Institute of Mental Health in Singapore for psychiatric evaluation. He was diagnosed with moderate major depressive disorder around the time of the offences and labeled a suicide risk.

Following this diagnosis, the prosecution charged Xavier with culpable homicide not amounting to murder.

Ultimately, he was sentenced to 14 years in prison, seven years for each of his sons.