{
  "id": 15872475,
  "title": "8-month-old baby shook & smothered to death in S'pore: Mum, 23, gets 15 years & 3 months, dad, 27, gets 16 years",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/21/8-month-old-baby-shook-smothered-to-death-in-spore-mum-23-gets-15",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-21T10:28:41.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Mothership",
    "slug": "mothership",
    "url": "https://mothership.sg/2026/10/couple-abuse-baby-death-jailed/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "On October 21, 2026, a Singaporean court handed down sentences to a couple for the brutal death of their eight-month-old son, Trevor Neo. Chloe Gan Ci Xuan, 23, received a 15-year and three-month jail term, while her husband Neo Jia Ming, 27, was given a 16-year sentence. The child's demise occurred on September 2, 2024, after the parents repeatedly shook and smothered him to stop him from crying for most of his life.\n\nChloe Gan pleaded guilty to various charges linked to her son's death on October 12, 2025. The judge, Hoo Lay Kuan, described her actions as tragic, likening them to those committed by Foo. During the sentencing, the judge emphasized the overwhelming nature of parenthood that the couple experienced, noting their support from family and caregivers. However, the judge stressed that both the young couple must bear responsibility for their actions, even though Neo did not directly cause Trevor's death.\n\nThe couple married in August 2023, and their son Trevor was born on December 9, 2023. After noticing Neo shaking him to cause Trevor to lose consciousness or stop crying, Chloe Gan learned to replicate this method to achieve the same results. The couple frequently shook Trevor in an effort to control his crying. Unfortunately, Trevor was hospitalized for a week after a particularly severe instance of shaking led to him losing consciousness.\n\nOn September 1, 2024, the couple left the baby with Neo's uncles while they went out for dinner. Upon their return, they found Trevor crying in his cot. Chloe Gan, struggling to fall asleep, covered the baby's face with a blanket for nearly a minute before lifting it and seeing him start to cry again. She then continued the process three to four more times, with Neo questioning her about her intentions. Eventually, the baby began crying again, and Chloe Gan started smothering him with her hands, continuing until she felt her arms shaking.\n\nNeo discovered Trevor unresponsive and cold at around 11:30 pm, prompting him to wake Chloe Gan to check on the infant. Despite attempting cardiopulmonary resuscitation, they were unable to revive Trevor, who was pronounced dead at approximately 12:20 am on September 2, 2024, at KK Women's and Children's Hospital. A nurse reported the incident as suspicious, leading to the couple's arrest the following morning.",
  "summary": "The couple took to shaking him frequently to stop him from crying.",
  "key_points": [
    "Chloe Gan Gan, 23, received a 15-year and 3-month sentence for her role in Trevor's death.",
    "Neo Jia Ming, 27, was sentenced to 16 years for the brutal killing of their infant son."
  ],
  "editors_take": "The heavy sentences handed to the young couple underscore the judiciary's refusal to let parental overwhelm excuse the lethal use of physical violence to control an infant's crying.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}