A jobless man has been charged with the murder of his friend whose decomposed body was discovered wrapped inside a folded mattress at a shoplot in Pokok Mangga, Melaka, two months after the alleged killing.
The accused, 40-year-old Kamil Harris Mohd Abd Nasir, appeared before the Ayer Keroh Magistrate’s Court on Thursday, where the charge was read before Magistrate Uthman Abd Ghani.
Kamil Harris nodded to indicate he understood the accusation. However, no plea was recorded as murder cases fall under the jurisdiction of the High Court.
According to the charge sheet, the accused is alleged to have murdered the 39-year-old victim between 10pm on March 30 and 3am on March 31 at a shoplot in Taman Seri Pandan 1, Jalan Pokok Mangga, within the Melaka Tengah district.
He was charged under Section 302 of the Penal Code, which carries the death penalty or imprisonment of between 30 and 40 years, along with no fewer than 12 strokes of the cane, if the death sentence is not imposed.
The prosecution was conducted by Prosecuting Officer Inspector Nur Zaidah Muhamad Zailani, while the accused was unrepresented by legal counsel.
The court fixed July 29 for the next mention of the case.
The charge follows the shocking discovery of a decomposed male body on May 28. The victim was found wrapped inside a folded mattress with both hands tied at a shoplot in the Pokok Mangga area.
Melaka police chief Datuk Dzulkhairi Mukhtar previously said police received a report at about 7pm after the property owner inspected the premises when he was unable to contact the tenant for several days.
Following the gruesome discovery, police arrested a man to assist in investigations. Further inquiries revealed that the victim and suspect were believed to have been close acquaintances.
Investigators also believe the killing stemmed from an argument triggered by misunderstandings and accusations involving the suspect’s family while both men were allegedly under the influence of drugs.
The case attracted widespread public attention due to the condition in which the victim’s body was found and the lengthy period before the alleged crime was uncovered.
