American engineer's death in Singapore raises questions

An inquiry has found that Shane Todd, an American engineer who was found dead in his Singapore apartment just over a year ago, committed suicide. The ruling is in line with Police findings last year. Before his death, Todd was contracted by a Singaporean government research agency to work on a galium nitride amplifier, a new technology with commercial and potential military applications. Todd's family believed that his work made him a target for foul play, claiming a hard drive found in his apartment supports their theory and the suicide note, which praised his former employer, was out of character.

In an extensive 150-page report, Singaporean authorities deem that "the available evidence was inconsistent with the possibility that there was foul play involved in the deceased's death." In regards to alleged bruises on Todd's hands that were thought to be signs of a struggle, the court ruled that these were in fact caused by postmortem lividity — blood settling under the skin after death. After laying out a timeline of the events leading to Todd's death, the document states "beyond reasonable doubt" that the 31-year-old engineer committed suicide.

After a week of court testimony, the tragic death of Shane Todd, 31, which sparked an international investigation, is now looking more like a suicide than an assassination. State witnesses presented a picture of a deeply depressed young man, while offering viable explanations for some of the inconsistencies that originally aroused suspicion around the case. Forensic experts also recreated the death scene, showing it was consistent with hanging and not forceful garroting.

Four of Dr. Todd’s former colleagues testified today saying the project he was working on was not sensitive military technology, as speculated by experts who reviewed files on Dr. Todd’s computer. The high-powered amplifier he was working on was for commercial applications, colleagues said. "IME does not conduct classified military research," said Dr. Patrick Lo Guo-Qiang, an American citizen and Dr. Todd’s former superior at IME. "What they want you to do is nothing secret, they want to be published."

Investigators and friends testified today that Shane Todd, the American engineer who was found hanging in his bathroom in Singapore last year, was depressed and even visited suicide-related websites in the months before his death.

The case even attracted attention from the FBI, two senators, a congressman, and the secretary of state. If true, the Todds' accusation means that the friendly Asian trade ally is acting as a proxy for China, which could have significant implications for relations between the US and Singapore.

"Mom, I’m going to call you every week," 31-year-old Shane Todd reportedly told his mother before he was found dead last June in an alleged suicide in Singapore. "If you don’t hear from me for a week, call the American embassy."

It's possible Todd hanged himself, as the Singaporean police ruled when his body was found, but his family doesn't buy it. They suspect he was murdered over his work on a military-grade technology that was potentially worth billions.

After intense lobbying by a US Senator, the Secretary of State, and the US Attorney General, Singapore will conduct an official coroner's inquiry into the unexpected death of American engineer Shane Todd, starting on May 13.

Todd told friends and family that he was working on a joint project for his employer, a Singaporean government research agency, and the partially state-owned Chinese company Huawei. There is some evidence that the project had military implications, and Todd had told his family he was worried that his work could get him "in trouble with the US government." The agency and Huawei say the project never went beyond exploratory talks.