A British businessman has been charged with murder after an Indonesian domestic worker was found dead beneath a waterfall in Hong Kong, China, authorities said Tuesday.
Jamie Tzewee Chapman, 34, who holds a Hong Kong identity card and works as a merchant, appeared before Eastern Court on Friday morning. Principal Magistrate Don So Man-lung told Chapman, “In the meantime, you will stay in jail.”
The body of Mevi Novitasari, 25, was discovered Monday morning, October 28, 2024, in a pool below the waterfall at Waterfall Bay Park near Wah Fu Estate in the Pok Fu Lam district. Novitasari had lived in Hong Kong for four years before her death.
Police reported that Chapman and Novitasari went to the waterfall around 11 p.m. Sunday. Chapman left approximately 40 minutes later, allegedly rushing away alone in a taxi. He then traveled via high-speed train to Guangzhou in mainland China. Authorities reported that the woman’s body was discovered at the base of the waterfall on Monday morning, and she is believed to have drowned after sustaining trauma from a hard object.
Police noted several “unreasonable” factors in the case, including Chapman’s immediate departure from Hong Kong after the incident and the disappearance of evidence related to him.
A postmortem examination revealed Novitasari died from “asphyxiation by drowning” and had sustained head injuries. She also had minor wounds to her limbs. Police investigators said the evidence did not suggest a natural death.
Chapman’s 36-year-old wife, a Hong Kong resident, was initially arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender but has since been released on bail. She is required to report back to the police in November.
According to local media reports, Chapman and his wife settled in Hong Kong after marriage and operated a small business together in the South Horizons residential district. Police confirmed that while Chapman and Novitasari knew each other, he was not her employer.
Chapman’s lawyer raised no objections to the adjournment and did not submit a bail application. Under the Criminal Procedure Ordinance, those charged with murder can only be granted bail at a judge’s order, with a magistrate’s court unable to handle such applications.
The victim’s employment agency and the Indonesian consulate are working together to facilitate the repatriation of Novitasari’s remains. The case has been adjourned until January 24, 2025, to allow time for further investigation.