Casepin
Back to cases

Case file

Yishun triple murders

SOLVED2008Yishun, Singapore3 SOURCESUPDATED JUL 2026
Illustrative

On 19 September 2008, police in Yishun, Singapore, responded to a report of a woman found dead after falling from a Housing & Development Board (HDB) block. Investigation led officers to a sixth-floor flat where they found blood on the door; after forcing entry, they discovered three women — one adult and two teenagers — who had been slashed and stabbed. One teenager was found alive in a kitchen toilet and taken to hospital; two others were found dead in a bedroom. The male occupant of the flat, whose fingers were injured, was arrested at the scene.

The three deceased were identified as Zhang Meng, 41, a "peidu mama" (a mother who accompanies a child studying abroad); her 17-year-old daughter, Feng Jianyu; and Zhang's 36-year-old flatmate and fellow peidu mama, Yang Jie, who was the woman who fell to her death. The survivor was Yang's 15-year-old daughter, a classmate of Feng's. Wang Zhijian, 42, Zhang's boyfriend, was charged the day after his arrest with Zhang's murder, and on 4 October 2008 was additionally charged with the murders of Yang and Feng and with the attempted murder of Yang's daughter; the attempted murder charge was later stood down by the prosecution, which proceeded on the three murder charges.

At trial, which began 22 November 2011 in the High Court of Singapore before Justice Chan Seng Onn, Wang's own police statements described killing Zhang and Feng after an argument and also attacking Yang and her daughter. The prosecution's forensic evidence — including a crime-scene reconstruction, DNA analysis, and autopsy findings — contradicted parts of Wang's account regarding Yang's death, indicating that Wang had deliberately attacked Yang as she clung to bamboo poles outside a kitchen window, causing her fatal fall. Yang's surviving daughter, given the pseudonym "Grace" by some media, testified to the extended assault she endured, which caused serious and lasting injuries, including loss of sight in one eye.

Psychiatric experts for the defence and prosecution disagreed on whether Wang suffered diminished responsibility. On 30 November 2012, Justice Chan found Wang guilty of culpable homicide (not murder) for the deaths of Zhang and Feng, accepting diminished responsibility for those killings, but found him guilty of murder for Yang's death, sentencing him to death.

Wang appealed the murder conviction and death sentence, while the prosecution appealed the culpable homicide findings. On 28 November 2014, the Court of Appeal dismissed Wang's appeal and allowed the prosecution's appeal, finding Wang guilty of murder for all three deaths, rejecting the diminished-responsibility defence for the killings of Zhang and Feng as well as Yang.

Key facts

Victims
Zhang Meng, Yang Jie, Feng Jianyu
Date
2008
Location
Yishun, Singapore
Case status
solved

Case timeline

  1. 2008-09-19

    Police discover the body of a woman who fell from a Yishun HDB block; a search leads to a flat where two women are found dead and one teenager is found alive after a stabbing attack.

  2. 2008-09-20

    Wang Zhijian is charged with the murder of Zhang Meng.

  3. 2008-09-24

    News report states Yang Jie's daughter, the survivor, is stable in hospital.

  4. 2008-09-26

    Zhang Meng and Feng Jianyu's bodies are cremated after relatives travel from China to identify them.

  5. 2008-10-04

    Wang Zhijian is additionally charged with the murders of Yang Jie and Feng Jianyu, and with attempted murder of Yang's daughter (later stood down).

  6. 2011-11-22

    Wang Zhijian's murder trial begins in the High Court of Singapore before Justice Chan Seng Onn.

  7. 2012-04

    Defence psychiatrist Dr Tommy Tan presents his report; Wang takes the stand and is cross-examined.

  8. 2012-05

    Prosecution psychiatrist Dr Kenneth Koh testifies.

  9. 2012-07

    Wang assaults a fellow inmate while awaiting the trial verdict.

  10. 2012-11-30

    Justice Chan Seng Onn delivers judgement: guilty of culpable homicide for Zhang and Feng's deaths, guilty of murder for Yang's death; sentenced to death.

  11. 2013-09-04

    Court of Appeal first hears Wang's appeal and the prosecution's appeal.

  12. 2014-09-30

    Appeals are reheard following a change in the bench composition.

  13. 2014-11-28

    Court of Appeal dismisses Wang's appeal and allows the prosecution's appeal, convicting him of murder for all three deaths.

Best coverage

No approved coverage links are attached yet.

People

  • Zhang Meng

    VICTIM

    41-year-old peidu mama, killed by stabbing; boyfriend Wang Zhijian later convicted of her murder

  • Yang Jie

    VICTIM

    36-year-old peidu mama and flatmate of Zhang Meng, killed after falling from the flat during an attack; Wang Zhijian convicted of her murder

  • Wang Zhijian

    CONVICTED

    Boyfriend of Zhang Meng; convicted by the Court of Appeal of Singapore of murder in all three deaths and sentenced to death

  • Feng Jianyu

    VICTIM

    17-year-old daughter of Zhang Meng, killed by stabbing; Wang Zhijian later convicted of her murder

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

Places

Yishun, Singapore

1.4304, 103.8354

View on the map

Common questions

What happened to the victim?
In September 2008, three Chinese national women — Zhang Meng, her teenage daughter Feng Jianyu, and their flatmate Yang Jie — were killed in a rented flat in Yishun, Singapore, by Zhang's boyfriend Wang Zhijian, who also attacked and seriously injured Yang's teenage daughter, who survived.
Where did the murders happen?
Yishun, Singapore.
Who was convicted?
Wang Zhijian (Boyfriend of Zhang Meng; convicted by the Court of Appeal of Singapore of murder in all three deaths and sentenced to death).
What is the current status of the case?
Status: solved.
More cases in Singapore

Sources

  1. ENCYCLOPEDICYishun triple murdersWikipedia · 2026-07-07
  2. PRESSContemporaneous coverage of Yishun triple murders sentencing — BBC NewsBBC News · 2026-07-07
  3. PRESSContemporaneous coverage of Yishun triple murders discovery — asiaone.comasiaone.com · 2026-07-07

Record history

First published
JUL 10, 2026