Cotai hotel murder suspect apprehended in mainland China

The suspect of a murder case unearthed at a hotel in Cotai on May 4 was arrested in Chaozhou, Guangdong Province the same evening by mainland police, the Judiciary Police (PJ) announced over the weekend.

After the discovery of the alleged murder and the suspect’s departure for mainland China, the PJ immediately notified their mainland counterparts.

The suspect is a 44-year old mainland resident named Li who entered Macau on Apr. 13 and subsequently overstayed his permit. The PJ disclosed that he is alleged to have committed crimes of aggravated murder and robbery.

The 27-year-old victim, meanwhile, entered the city on Apr. 28 and participated in an illegal currency exchange. He stayed in the same hotel room as the suspect, whom he had known for a fortnight.

In response to interrogations by the mainland police, the suspected admitted to hitting the victim on the head with a tumbler. However, the suspect declined to give further details.

The local police stated that post-mortem analysis identified a two centimeter crack on the victim’s skull, numerous wounds on the head, neck, back and arms, bruises on the lips and throat, as well as signs of strangulation. These indications led the police to believe the victim had died from suffocation.

It was also disclosed that the victim entered the hotel room at 11 p.m. on May 3 and the suspect at 2 a.m. on May 4. At about 4 a.m., the suspect left the room with a suitcase and a bag of posessions. He left Macau at 6 a.m. the same day through the Qingmao Border Checkpoint after paying the fine for overstaying his entry permit in Macau. AL