Murder at Florida Inn might have been ordered

Pillow from the inn found in one of the buildings the suspect entered

The murder of a 45-year-old local woman at a small inn located in an alley that connects with the Avenida de Almeida Ribeiro in Macau’s central district might have been ordered by a third party, the Times has learned.

According to a Judiciary Police (PJ) spokesperson during a special press conference yesterday afternoon, the PJ suspects the man detained for the murder is not telling the truth and the story could be far more complex than his initial testimony suggested.

The 45-year-old Hong Kong man suspected of committing the murder told police he went to the inn to pay for sex. However, upon arrival, the woman said something he took as an insult and he retaliated by killing her out of anger. The same spokesperson said the suspect could not remember exactly what the woman said that led him to lose his temper. Among other factors, this fact raised suspicions from the PJ.

According to a source heard by the Times after the press conference, the fact that the local woman had been renting a room at the inn since last month for sex work is also relevant to the case.

The source explained that such cases are very rare and usually the people involved in such cases either have severe substance use issues or major gambling debts that they cannot repay.

Such facts potentially point to the theory that the murderer was in reality a hitman acting under someone else’s orders.

The PJ also noted the man’s immigration records show his last entry into Macau occurred in March 2022. He has no record of ever staying in any hotel or hostel in Macau since then. Responding to police queries, he said he had been sleeping in the streets and parks of Macau for almost a year, yet again raising suspicions about his actions and motivations.

After being identified by the police and before detaining the suspect, the police analyzed footage from several surveillance cameras that show the man exiting the inn after allegedly committing the crime, carrying items including a large piece of luggage. He then circulated the city and entered and exited several residential buildings.

In some of these buildings, the police found objects allegedly from the crime scene, although there are questions about why the man carried them and left some of them in different buildings.

Among them is a pillow from the inn that was found in one of the buildings. However, there was no relation between the object and the crime, suggesting that the man acted premeditatedly to divert the police investigation.

The police have not yet found the murder weapon nor some of the belongings from the murdered woman, including her mobile phone allegedly taken by the murderer and which would be an important piece of evidence.

An autopsy confirmed the woman died of a brain hemorrhage resulting from several strikes to the head with a hard object.

The firemen who first attended the call found her in the hotel room toilet, showing no signs of life.

She had a clear open wound about 15 centimeters long in her head and a skull fracture.

Additionally, although some blood was found on the walls after the attack, it seemed lot of the woman’s blood had been partially cleaned.

When the man was caught, he was using a computer at an activity center in the NAPE district.

Based on a psychiatric evaluation of the suspect, the assessor said the man had no identifiable mental health issues or disabilities.

The suspect was transferred to the Public Prosecutions Office yesterday to be charged with homicide and theft. Nonetheless, the PJ will continue to investigate the case due to ongoing suspicions the suspect may be trying to conceal the truth behind the motive for murder.