Shiaau’s murder: Court set to finish testimonies in two months as another hearing cancelled

Criminal Court, in the trial of the brutal murder of Shiaau Mohamed Saeed, a young musician in an apartment in the Maldivian capital in August 2023, has resolved to complete taking the statement of the suspect charged in the case within the next two or months.

Shiaau Mohamed Saeed, 22, was found killed and dismembered in an apartment on the ninth floor of H. Sheereen Villa on August 6, 2022.

Ali Shaahil, 22, a local skater, was arrested from the scene of the crime.

Shaahil was charged with five offenses in connection to the case, including murder with intent using a sharp-edged weapon, possession of pornography and using cannabis. Two of the charges have not been disclosed by the state.

Criminal Court is holding Shaahil’s trial behind closed doors. As such, limited information about the trial has been made publicly available.

The Court scheduled a hearing in the case for Wednesday, which was ultimately cancelled. The hearing scheduled for Wednesday had the testimonies of two individuals on agenda. Sun has learned that the prosecution requested the Court to take the testimonies of the two witnesses on the hearing set for September 14^th where two secret witnesses are also scheduled to testify.

Police had taken months to complete the investigation into Shiaau’s murder.

Police said Shaahil, while he responded to questions from investigators, refused to speak specifically about the murder.

While the autopsy confirmed the injuries inflicted on Shiaau - both before and after her death - had been deliberate, and the police recovered weapons used in the murder, the investigation had suffered setbacks due to the lack of a clear motive for the crime.