Klang: The High Court today sentenced Amirul Amin Amirruddin, 23, to 32 years in prison and 12 strokes of the cane after he was found guilty of murdering his girlfriend by suffocating her with a pillow.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, Judge Norliza Othman delivered the sentence, affirming that the prosecution had established its case against Amirul Amin beyond a reasonable doubt. The sentence is effective from his arrest date on August 24, 2022. Amirul Amin faced charges under Section 302 of the Penal Code for murdering Nurul Shahira Abdullah, 24, at a residence in Kampung Sri Pandan, Klang, at 7:18 pm on that day.
The charge carries a maximum prison term of 40 years and, if the death penalty is not applied, a minimum of 12 strokes of the cane. In her judgment, Norliza cited the post-mortem results, which confirmed the cause of death as suffocation by pillow, a determination supported by the prosecution's forensic pathologist. During cross-examination, the accused admitted to pressing a pillow over the victim's face, noticing her breathing had slowed and become labored, and claimed he acted to stop her aggressive behavior.
Norliza highlighted that Amirul Amin acknowledged knowing that his actions could impede the victim's breathing and stopped only when she ceased struggling and breathing. The incident stemmed from a disagreement over the accused's refusal to sign an agreement not to leave the victim. The accused admitted under cross-examination that he did not consider other ways to calm the victim apart from using the pillow.
The prosecution was led by Deputy Public Prosecutor Farah Aqilah Ahmad Fuad, while the defense was represented by lawyers Mohd Norazihan Adnan and Evie Melynda Jee. On October 17, 2025, the same court initially sentenced Amirul Amin to seven years under Section 304(b) of the Penal Code for culpable homicide not amounting to murder. However, following a successful prosecution appeal at the Court of Appeal, the previous conviction was set aside, and Amirul Amin was ordered to present his defense on the murder charge in the Klang High Court.