In 2017, Lim rented a condominium unit in Bedok for the pair to reside together. He stayed there most of the time, only leaving on Sundays to return to his wife and daughter. The pair would frequently argue, said the prosecution, as Lim felt that Heng behaved too friendly towards other men.
Lim’s company then encountered financial problems in 2019, which continued and worsened in 2020 because of the
COVID-19 pandemic. Lim started to resent Heng as he had given her around $300,000 to repay debts incurred by her former husband, and he saw her as a financial burden.
At around 3am on 30 December 2020, he concluded that Heng was the source of all his problems and decided to kill her. He thought of throwing acid on Heng first, to prevent her from defending herself.
“He did not want her to die so easily and wanted her to suffer and be in pain,” prosecutors said.