Yuwafee Heidi Hamdan’s final attempt to set aside his conviction and death sentence was dismissed by a three-member panel of judges who found no merits in his appeal.

Chief Justice of Sabah and Sarawak Abang Iskandar Abang Hashim, who led the panel, said there was sufficient circumstantial evidence to prove Yuwafee’s guilt for the murder.

“We find that his conviction is safe and we affirm the Court of Appeal’s decision which had affirmed the decision of the High Court in convicting the appellant (Yuwafee) and sentencing him to death,” he said.

The other two judges were Federal Court justices Harmindar Singh Dhaliwal and Zabidin Diah.

Yuwafee, 33, was sentenced to death by the High Court on Oct 10, 2019 after he was found guilty of killing Normaizatul Nor Jaya, 22, a hotel receptionist, under the Jalan Lombong bridge, Saujana Putra in Sungai Jenjarom, Kuala Langat, Selangor on May 29, 2015.

The Court of Appeal dismissed his appeal on July 19, last year.

According to the facts of the case, Yuwafee confessed to his ex-girlfriend, Farah Adiba Badarudin, during a telephone conversation that he committed the offence.

She testified at the trial that Yuwafee told her how he had suffocated the deceased by covering her mouth and nose until she died and then dumping her body into the river.

The deceased’s partly-decomposed body was found two days later in the river. Yuwafee was subsequently arrested on June 9, 2015.

At the trial, the prosecution also called two other witnesses, a colleague of the appellant and his best friend, who also testified that he (Yuwafee) told them that he murdered Normaizatul.

During the trial, it was disclosed that she had lodged police reports after the appellant assaulted her in January and May 2015.

In his defence, Yuwafee said he confessed to Farah as he wanted to see her reaction to his action.

Yuwafee was represented by lawyers K Mahendran and Chan Hwi Ching while deputy public prosecutor How May Ling appeared for the prosecution.