‘Die together!’: Man, 68, charges at elder brother with chopper and knife over inheritance dispute
A pair of elderly brothers became embroiled in a dispute over their late sister’s assets, with the 68-year-old man allegedly threatening to “die together” with his 71-year-old brother before charging at him with a chopper and a kitchen knife.
The younger brother was charged with criminal intimidation and was sentenced to 10 weeks’ jail on Sept 17.
According to Shin Min Daily News, the incident took place at about 12.44pm on Aug 3 at a flat in Block 35 Telok Blangah Rise, where the offender lived with his second-oldest brother.
Locked himself in room before incident
Court documents revealed that the offender’s sister died on July 10, 2025. The offender and his eldest brother subsequently became embroiled in a dispute over how her assets should be divided.
At about noon on the day of the incident, the eldest brother went to the flat with his son, hoping to resolve the dispute amicably.
However, the offender locked himself in his room and refused to emerge, despite his second-oldest brother’s attempts to persuade him to come out.
Yelled ‘Die together!’ at brother
At about 12.40pm, as the eldest brother was preparing to leave, the offender emerged from his room.
He shouted at his nephew, telling him not to interfere, before turning to his eldest brother and yelling in Mandarin: “Die together!”
The offender then rushed into the kitchen, took a chopper and a kitchen knife from a drawer, and charged towards his eldest brother.
The older man raised a wooden stool to defend himself, while his son and second elder brother jumped in to restrain the offender.
The eldest brother then took photos of the incident as evidence and called the police.
The prosecution said the offender had not only threatened the victim, but had also used two weapons. It added that the victim was elderly and vulnerable, and asked the court to impose at least two months’ jail.
Offender’s arm bled while being restrained
The offender suffered bleeding from his right arm while being restrained, as he has fragile skin due to his skin condition.
Police arrived at the flat at about 1pm after receiving the report and seized the two knives from the offender, as well as the wooden stool the eldest brother had used to defend himself.
The offender was subsequently taken to Singapore General Hospital for treatment.
He subsequently admitted to the offence during police investigations.
Offender unhappy with getting one-third of sister’s assets: Eldest brother
Speaking to Shin Min, the eldest brother said the offender became agitated because he was unhappy about receiving only a one-third share of their late sister’s flat.
He recalled that the three brothers had visited their sister in hospital while she was undergoing treatment for cancer.
Their sister had said she intended to leave her three-room flat in Potong Pasir to her three brothers, with the offender receiving 60 per cent and the two older brothers receiving 20 per cent each.
She then signed a will, with her husband present.
“But the lawyer later said there was a problem with the document and that it was not legally valid. In the end, we were told that the flat would be divided equally among the three of us,” the eldest brother explained.
“This was not my fault either. There was nothing I could do.”
The eldest brother said he had visited the flat with his son on the day of the incident, bringing cheques relating to his sister’s savings and insurance.
He did not expect the offender to become agitated and brandish the weapons.
After taking photos as evidence, he left the flat and called the police.
Offender mistakenly thought eldest brother had cheated him of money: Second oldest brother
The eldest brother said he was saddened by what happened, but the family had since forgiven the offender.
When Shin Min visited the flat, the offender’s second-oldest brother, 70, who works as a taxi driver, said the offender had acted impulsively and made a mistake.
“We’re all already nearing the end of our lives, yet we were arguing over money.
“He misunderstood the situation and thought our eldest brother had cheated him of money, which caused him to lose control,” the brother said.
He added that the offender had lived with their sister in Potong Pasir for nearly 30 years, and only moved in with him after their sister died.
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