Todd inquiry was ‘fair and transparent’: US Embassy

SINGAPORE — The United States Embassy in Singapore said today (July 8) that the coroner’s inquiry into the death of Shane Todd was “fair and transparent”, following the State Coroner’s ruling this morning that the American engineer had committed suicide.

Todd was found hanged in his apartment in Chinatown on June 24 last year. His parents, Rick and Mary Todd, believe he was murdered over sensitive research work done at the Institute of Microelectronics (IME), where he was employed.

State Coroner Chay Yuen Fatt ruled today that Todd had committed suicide. Evidence showed that Todd who had a history of depression had visited suicide websites, which included sites on how to tie a hangman’s noose, between March 10 and June 23 last year.

The verdict concludes the 10-day coroner’s inquiry in which a total of 73 witnesses were called, with 44 taking the stand. Near the end of the inquiry, the Todds walked out after a request for more time to examine evidence by Luis Alejandro Andro Montes — who is said to have seen Todd the day before he was found hanged — was rejected.

The full statement by the US Embassy in Singapore:

"

The death of Dr. Shane Todd in June 2012 was a profound loss for his family, friends, and colleagues, and our heartfelt sympathy goes out to them.

"In accordance with Singapore law, a coroner’s inquiry was conducted to determine the cause of Dr. Todd’s death. The findings from that inquiry were released today. Officers from the Embassy attended the entire hearing and were with the Todd family during their time in Singapore. Ambassador Adelman met with the Todd family in December 2012 and May 2013. The coroner heard testimony from a wide range of witnesses in open court and received evidence in the form of written statements and records. The Todd family was given the opportunity to participate in the hearing and was represented by experienced Singapore legal counsel.

"The inquiry into Dr. Todd’s death was comprehensive, fair, and transparent."

TODDS STILL NOT CONVINCED

Earlier, the Todd family vowed to keep pursuing its position that he was murdered.

“Everything was scripted,” said Mr Rick Todd. “We were told from the beginning that this was going to be an honest, fact-finding; it wouldn’t be adversarial and from the beginning it was adversarial. They had their mind made up from the beginning.”

Instead, the Todds from Montana have assembled their own evidence, some of which they have circulated in an open letter to “media outlets and elected officials”.

Among the supporting documents are photographs of their son’s body, including his hands, which they say show signs of a struggle.

“Any rational person or honest pathologist would call it bruising. There’s a huge bump on his head. There is a huge bump on his lip. There is scratch marks going where he tried to get under the ligature. They pooh-poohed it all away,” said Mrs Mary Todd.

Underlying everything the family said is their vehement rejection of official findings that Shane Todd killed himself.

“If our son had committed suicide, it would be horrible but it wouldn’t be nearly as painful as what we’re going through now to try to prove our son’s murder and to show, not for us, our son’s in heaven, but for our country and the world how evil and insidious for what has happened to our son,” said Ms Mary Todd.

The Todds intend to wage a campaign to get American public opinion on their side. Several US lawmakers have already taken up the case but the family said that the national security implications are so serious that they plan to raise them with US President Barack Obama personally. WITH ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY CHANNEL NEWSASIA