Former MasterChef Malaysia Finalist & Ex-Husband Jailed 34 Years For Torturing Maid To Death

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A former MasterChef Malaysia finalist and her ex-husband have each been sentenced to 34 years in prison for the brutal murder of their maid

The woman was tortured over several days in what prosecutors described as a deliberate and cruel campaign of abuse, reported the New Straits Times.

"The accused persons, as her employers, were meant to provide her with shelter, food, and safety.

"Instead, the deceased was subjected to daily torment, denied basic rights, and robbed of her life," deputy public prosecutor (DPP) Dacia Jane Romanus told the court.

The Kota Kinabalu High Court on Friday, 20 June, found 37-year-old Etiqah Siti Noorashikeen Mohd Sulong and 44-year-old Mohammad Ambree Yunos @ Unos guilty of murdering 28-year-old Nur Afiyah Daeng Damin at their condominium in Penampang, Sabah, in December 2021.

Ambree, a contractor, was also sentenced to 12 strokes of the cane.

Etiqah, however, was spared the mandatory whipping due to her gender, as provided under Section 289 of the Criminal Procedure Code.

At the time of her death, Nur Afiyah was working as their live-in maid

She had hoped to earn a living during the pandemic. Instead, her workplace became the site of her slow, violent death.

The court found the couple inflicted multiple injuries over time, leading to her death. Videos and photos found on the couple's phones showed chilling documentation of the abuse.

Despite the recent abolition of the mandatory death penalty, the prosecution had asked for the maximum punishment under the law, saying "the case had shocked not just Sabahans, but the nation as a whole".

DPP Dacia Jane reminded the court that the victim "endured prolonged suffering in her place of employment, which ultimately became the site of her tragic demise," and described how "the condition of the deceased's body was so severely deteriorated that her husband was only able to identify her by the bangle she wore on her wrist".

"This murder was not impulsive; it was cruel and intentional.

"The injuries sustained by the deceased did not occur all at once; they were inflicted over time, in a prolonged campaign of cruelty that speaks volumes about the intent of the accused persons to cause her death," she told the court.

Etiqah, who was known for reaching the finals of MasterChef Malaysia Season 2 in 2012, placed fourth at the age of 24

A geology postgraduate from Universiti Malaysia Sabah, the former MasterChef Malaysia finalist had once spoken about working on oil rigs and her admiration for Chef Wan.

Both she and Ambree had been out on bail pending the outcome of the trial.

They have been ordered to begin serving their sentences immediately from the date of conviction.