He did not have affair, says family of CCK murder victim

SINGAPORE - There was no relationship between production technician Dexmon Chua and a married woman.

This was what his brother-in-law, Mr David Goh, said at Mr Chua's wake near his home in Choa Chu Kang Avenue 4 on Friday.

Mr Chua was reported missing last Sunday afternoon and his decomposing body was found in thick, tall grass in Lim Chu Kang on Wednesday.

Media reports said the 37-year-old man had been involved with a married woman close to her 50s, who had two children of her own.

But Mr Goh, 39, a systems engineer who is married to Mr Chua's older sister, said: "It's not true. My parents-in-law did not say that he had an affair. We had no idea this woman existed.

"So when (our extended family) read the news about it, we were very shocked."

If she turns up for the wake, the family will not welcome her, said the spokesman for the family, a cousin of Mr Chua who wanted to be known only as Ms Chua.

The 53-year-old said: "If she really was the person... I would personally have very strong feelings about it.

"Emotions are high right now."

When The New Paper went to the wake on Friday, close to 20 of Mr Chua's relatives were there.

They set up wreaths and a Taoist altar after the body arrived at around 3pm.

Then they sat at the tables chatting over peanuts and soft drinks.

Mr Chua's two siblings burned offerings, while his parents greeted people who came to pay their respects.

There was a calmness among those present - nobody broke down or was seen crying.

Said Ms Chua: "Getting the body back is a big part to getting closure."

The family had stayed by their phones, waiting for news from the police since Mr Chua went missing between last Saturday evening and Sunday afternoon.

"But ultimately, we will only get closure once we get justice for Dexmon, even though it might take a very long time," she said.

Charged in court

Singaporean Chia Kee Chen, 53, was charged in court on Thursday for the alleged murder of Mr Chua.

Court documents revealed that Chia had committed the act "together with unknown persons".

On Friday, the police said they are looking for an Indonesian man, Mr Djatmiko Febri Irwansyah, to assist in police investigations.

The family did not know Chia or Mr Djatmiko and only found out about the men from the police and news reports.

Said Ms Chua: "We are all staying strong in the belief that the police and the courts will do a good job to bring justice for the family, and so far, they have done well."

She said that her cousin "would always keep his parents informed about his whereabouts", and was an innocent man who did not deserve to die.

She keeps to herself

She is attractive for her age, but always keeps to herself.

This was the description of Chia Kee Chen's wife given by neighbours.

The Chias live in a five-room HDB flat in Choa Chu Kang.

A neighbour said she is between 40 and 50 years of age, has straight waist-length hair and is slim and petite.

"She's a very quiet person. She doesn't smile or say much to us even when we meet along the corridor," said the neighbour.

Chia and his wife live with their two daughters - one is studying in a secondary school, while the other is a junior college student, said the neighbour.

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