Priscilla Ng's daughter Doris was living in Europe at the time of the murder. Her lawyer, Bill Rapaport, won't say where she lives now, but he spoke to her on the phone Monday and said they were both surprised about the developments. "I'm happy. I'm happy that there's a new revived interest in this case. I was extremely disappointed at the fact that it went cold, as were my clients," he said.
Doris was the one who offered a $1 million reward when her mother Priscilla was murdered nine years ago. "I pray that the people responsible for this will be found," she said in 2005. Priscilla Ng was strangled in her Hillsborough home. Police said two Asian men broke into the house and tied up Ng and her house guest who survived a brutal beating.
Investigators said it was not a random murder. Her ex-husband Stephen had just lost a bitter legal battle over their assets the day before the murder. At the time, police told reporters he was not a suspect. The case went cold. A year later, Doris Ng, Priscilla's daughter by a previous marriage, offered the huge reward.
In November 2007, three years after the murder, Vic Lee received emails from a sender whom we'll call "Dick." We've changed his name to protect his safety. He said the killers live in Singapore and he knew details of the murder. Dick said, "The reward offered by the victim's daughter is our motivation to get the case solved."
"Not unusual to have that as a motive. This is a fairly large reward," Rapaport said. Dick wanted ABC7 News to introduce him to Hillsborough police investigators. Since then, Capt. Doug Davis says they've had extensive contact with him. "What made this lead unique is that the information provided to you, we consider very credible," he said.
A lot of legal obstacles in Singapore prevented Hillsborough police from interviewing one of the suspects but now, investigators believe they've resolved those problems and they'll be able to meet with him.
Rapaport called Doris Ng Monday and said she was surprised by the developments. "But she doesn't want to get herself to the point where she's saying 'Oh good, now maybe there'll be closure,' because this crushed her before and she doesn't want to put herself there again at this moment," he said.
ABC7 News decided to hold this story at the request of Hillsborough police for fear of jeopardizing their investigation but with this new development, the story could be told without compromising police work. Police say they are not ruling anyone out as suspects or persons of interest.
