From left, Department of Public Safety public information officer Sgt. Fred Sato, DPS Commissioner Clement Bermudes, and Criminal Investigation Bureau Commander Captain Jeff Olopai conduct a press conference, Tuesday.
THE Department of Public Safety-Criminal Investigation Bureau is looking into several persons of interest in the brutal attack that claimed the lives of a couple.
At a press conference on Tuesday, CIB Commander Jeff Olopai told reporters that the investigation “is still very active and there are several persons of interest that we are looking at.”
Olopai said there was a weapon used in the incident and based on their investigation, there is more than one suspect in the double homicide case.
“We believe the suspects got picked up by a car…. I cannot say anything further because that’s the only information we have,” he added.
He said they are also sending fingerprints off-island for analysis.
“The medical examination [on both victims] concluded a few minutes ago,” Olopai added.
Dr. Philip Dauterman of the Commonwealth Health Center performed the autopsies, which indicated that the deaths were caused by blunt force trauma to the head.
Olopai said the same victims had called for police assistance about two weeks prior to the incident.
“The victims … previously called 911 [regarding] a break-in … some items were stolen,” he added. “There’s a possibility that there was a connection with the recent case.”
DPS Commissioner Clement Bermudes, for his part, said, “We are asking the community for their patience. This is something we want to deliberately look into, and thoroughly investigate … and at the same time we are asking for your assistance, any tip, any word, any thoughts. You can do it anonymously through Crime Stoppers or you can notify someone. Let us know. This is our community, we want our community to be safe, and the best way to do that is to help each other and build a safety net around our community.”
Police Sgt. Fred Sato, DPS public information officer, said: “As we continue with our investigation, we plead to our community, if they have any information … and would like to remain anonymous … they can always call our Crime Stoppers [at (670) 234-7272]. We are offering a $1,000 reward for any information that may lead to an arrest in this case.”
The victims
Also on Tuesday, DPS identified the victims as Wang Jindong, 57, and Liu Shuping, 52.
They were long-time, legal residents of Saipan. Wang was an electrician while Liu was a private school teacher. Both were green card holders.
DPS launched a homicide investigation on Jan. 4, after the couple were found in their apartment bedroom on Hagamham Lane at the corner of Tun Joaquin Doi Road in Fina Sisu.
Wang was unresponsive while Liu was seriously injured. On Monday evening, she passed away at the hospital.
When she learned about the incident, the victims’ daughter immediately flew back to Saipan from the U.S. mainland, Variety learned.
“They were good people, and God-fearing,” said a community member who knew the couple.
