Murder of UiTM student: Temporary insanity? Highly unlikely, says psychologist

It’s highly unlikely that the perpetrator in the murder case of UiTM student Nursyuhada Johari, was suffering from temporary insanity when he allegedly stabbed her, causing her death.

It seems that the 25-year-old chef’s actions were more driven by ‘love obsession’, said Assoc. Prof Dr Mariani Md Nor.

She said, unstable mental health paired with an obsessive feeling of love can drive a person to act beyond his normal condition.

She opined that the perpetrator might not have been mentally unstable but was certainly disturbed.

“We don’t know the background of this case, so we cannot judge what actually happened.

“However, if the guy had been mentally unstable, he wouldn’t have become a chef, for one. This is because the job requires him to work with things that can bring harm if not use wisely – knives, forks, fire – all these can injure or even kill others.

“Also, it was noted the man had a history of being aggressive with the victim. So, these things can happen as a result of one’s persistence, and the cause would be love obsession,” said Dr Mariani, who is with the University of Malaya’s Department of Educational Psychology and Counseling under the Faculty of Education.

She explained, love obsession is when one is extremely possessive or have an extreme sense of belonging towards a person.

This strong feeling motivates a person to do anything, including hurting a loved one or someone else to ensure his or her love is exclusive.

Among the signs that one can read when someone is obsessed with love would be extreme jealousy – when one is not allowed to communicate with others or make new acquaintances, for instance.

“Another sign to note is being overly temperamental, especially with little things that cross the path of the relationship or anything that is associated with their loved ones,” said Dr Mariani.

She said, family members play an important role in protecting and ensuring the mental well-being of a person.

“Parents are the root of this optimal mental health. Good parenting and family ties are keys to generating healthy minds which in turn support and contribute to the welfare of the surrounding community.

"Firm religious and moral upbringing helps a lot to ensure social boundaries are not crossed,” she said.

When asked about the mental health of Malaysians in general, Dr Mariani said it should be closely monitored because there has been an increase in criminal cases involving family members.

"Crimes within and between families are not rare anymore today, when once, way back when, it was unheard of.

"So, if the harmony in a family unit is fostered and well-maintained by its members, I believe that Malaysian families can exude more positivity, resulting in a more positive society as a whole,” said Dr Mariani.

Nursyuhada, a first year student at UiTM Permatang Pauh in Penang, succumbed to her injuries after she was found with stab wounds at KM228.2 of the North-South Expressway (southbound) near the Bukit Gantang R&R, near Taiping.

It was reported that the 20-year-old had known her assailant since she was in Form Five. The two came from the same village.

However, while some media reports reported the suspect to be her boyfriend, Nursyuhada’s father, Johari Hashim said the two were never romantically involved as they had suspected the chef to be a drug addict.

Johari, 55, said the man had wanted to have a relationship with his daughter but she refused. He said the man had been harassing Nursyuhada since she was 17, and a police report had been lodged against him four years ago.

The suspect is currently under police remand to facilitate investigations. Police had reportedly said that the suspect claimed temporary insanity for his alleged actions.

UiTM had denied claims that Nursyuhada was kidnapped from campus, saying that she had willingly entered the suspect's car.