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Rape and Murder of Chee Gaik Yap

SOLVED2006Sungai Petani, Kedah, Malaysia3 SOURCESUPDATED JUL 2026
Illustrative

On the evening of 14 January 2006, 24-year-old marketing executive Chee Gaik Yap was jogging with her younger sister, Chee Gaik Choon, at a track near the Cinta Sayang Club in Taman Ria Jaya, Sungai Petani, Kedah, Malaysia. Chee, who was more athletic, ran ahead and was separated from her sister. When Chee failed to return home, her sister searched and found one of Chee's shoes along with bloodstains at the track. A police report was filed and a search launched. At 2:30am on 15 January 2006, a passer-by discovered Chee's body in thick undergrowth near a golf course. An autopsy determined that she died from a stab wound and had been sexually assaulted.

Police initially arrested 12 suspects but released them by February 2006 for lack of evidence, and the case went cold. In 2009, DNA testing of a renewed suspect pool matched semen samples to Shahril Jaafar, a 28-year-old car dealer and son of businessman Datuk Jaafar Jamaludin. Shahril fled to Australia the same day he was released on bail after the DNA test. He was arrested upon returning to Kuala Lumpur International Airport from Perth on 17 January 2012 and was charged with murder on 2 February 2012.

At his first trial, the Alor Setar High Court acquitted Shahril on 25 June 2013, ruling the prosecution had not established a prima facie case, including finding the DNA evidence inconclusive. Chee's father, distraught at the verdict, attempted suicide by falling from the court building's parapet but was restrained. The prosecution appealed, and in October 2014 the Court of Appeal overturned the acquittal and ordered a re-trial. At the re-trial, Shahril made an unsworn statement claiming he had consensual sex with a woman he believed was a sex worker and that she was alive when she left his car. The prosecution argued this account was implausible and pointed to his flight to Australia as evidence of guilt. On 9 August 2015, Judicial Commissioner Datuk Mohd Zaki Abdul Wahab found Shahril guilty of murder and imposed the then-mandatory death sentence.

Shahril's appeals to the Court of Appeal (dismissed 29 November 2016) and the Federal Court (dismissed 25 January 2018) were both unsuccessful, with courts citing DNA and circumstantial evidence linking him to the crime. Following Malaysia's 2023 abolition of the mandatory death penalty, Shahril filed a re-sentencing motion. On 29 May 2024, the Federal Court heard arguments from his lawyer for a reduced sentence of 30–40 years, but the prosecution argued the case was a "rarest of rare" instance warranting death. The three-judge panel upheld the death sentence, finding the case involved exceptional violence. As of 2024, Shahril remains on death row with no execution scheduled.

The case drew sustained public attention in Malaysia, including rallies by Chee's family and supporters after the 2013 acquittal, and renewed discussion during national debates over the abolition of capital punishment.

Key facts

Victims
Chee Gaik Yap
Date
2006
Location
Sungai Petani, Kedah, Malaysia
Case status
solved

Case timeline

  1. 2006-01-14

    Chee Gaik Yap goes missing while jogging with her sister in Sungai Petani, Kedah.

  2. 2006-01-15

    Chee's body is found near a golf course with multiple stab wounds; autopsy later reveals 50 injuries and evidence of rape and sodomy.

  3. 2006-02

    Twelve initial suspects are released for lack of evidence; case goes cold.

  4. 2009

    DNA testing matches semen samples to suspect Shahril Jaafar, who flees to Australia after being released on bail.

  5. 2012-01-17

    Shahril Jaafar is arrested at Kuala Lumpur International Airport upon returning from Perth, Australia.

  6. 2012-02-02

    Shahril is formally charged with the murder of Chee Gaik Yap.

  7. 2013-02-25

    Shahril's original trial begins at the Alor Setar High Court.

  8. 2013-06-25

    Alor Setar High Court acquits Shahril without calling for his defence.

  9. 2013-07

    Prosecution files notice of appeal against the acquittal.

  10. 2014-10

    Court of Appeal overturns the acquittal and orders a re-trial.

  11. 2014-12-28

    Shahril returns to court and gives an unsworn statement denying the murder.

  12. 2015-06-02

    Closing submissions are made in the re-trial.

  13. 2015-08-09

    Alor Setar High Court finds Shahril guilty of murder and sentences him to death.

  14. 2016-11-29

    Court of Appeal unanimously dismisses Shahril's appeal against conviction and sentence.

  15. 2018-01-25

    Federal Court of Malaysia unanimously rejects Shahril's final appeal.

  16. 2023-04

    Malaysia officially abolishes the mandatory death penalty.

  17. 2024-05-29

    Federal Court hears and rejects Shahril's re-sentencing motion, upholding the death sentence.

Best coverage

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People

  • Shahril Jaafar

    CONVICTED

    Convicted of the murder of Chee Gaik Yap on 9 August 2015 following a re-trial (after an initial acquittal in 2013 was overturned on appeal); sentenced to death, with the sentence upheld on appeal in 2016, 2018, and after a 2024 re-sentencing motion.

  • Chee Gaik Yap

    VICTIM

    24-year-old marketing executive abducted, raped, sodomized and murdered while jogging on 14 January 2006 in Sungai Petani, Kedah.

Roles reflect public records and court outcomes at the time of writing — supporting citations are on file under Sources.

Places

Sungai Petani, Kedah, Malaysia

5.6472, 100.4874

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Common questions

What happened to the victim?
Chee Gaik Yap, a 24-year-old marketing executive, was abducted, sexually assaulted and stabbed to death while jogging in Sungai Petani, Malaysia, on 14 January 2006. Shahril Jaafar was convicted of her murder in 2015 following a re-trial after an earlier acquittal, and his death sentence was upheld through appeals, including a 2024 re-sentencing motion after Malaysia abolished the mandatory death penalty.
Where did the murder happen?
Sungai Petani, Kedah, Malaysia.
Who was convicted?
Shahril Jaafar (Convicted of the murder of Chee Gaik Yap on 9 August 2015 following a re-trial (after an initial acquittal in 2013 was overturned on appeal); sentenced to death, with the sentence upheld on appeal in 2016, 2018, and after a 2024 re-sentencing motion.).
What is the current status of the case?
Status: solved.
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Sources

  1. Chee Gaik Yap rape and murderwikipedia · Wikipedia · 2026-07-07
  2. Contemporaneous coverage — Perth opal dealer faces Malaysia's gallowsnews · The Sydney Morning Herald · 2026-07-07
  3. Contemporaneous coverage — Shahril Jaafar re-sentencing reportnews · sinchew.com.my · 2026-07-07