An Indonesian woman, her Malaysian boyfriend, and a woman traveling with a Vietnamese passport have been arrested in Malaysia in connection with the apparent assassination of Kim Jong-un’s half brother, Kim Jong-nam. According to Indonesia’s national police chief Tito Karnavian, Indonesian Siti Aisyah believed she was taking part in a TV prank. Talking to reporters, Karnavian described how Aisyah and the other woman were paid to spray water in men’s faces, which they were told was part of a TV comedy sketch:

Such an action was done three or four times and they were given a few dollars for it, and with the last target, Kim Jong-nam, allegedly there were dangerous materials in the sprayer. She was not aware that it was an assassination attempt by alleged foreign agents.

Suspect in Kim Jong Nam killing says she thought it was harmless practical joke, Malaysian media reports. More here: https://t.co/I2odpNUbtu pic.twitter.com/Bcp6uxW4G1

— Reuters Top News (@Reuters) February 17, 2017

Aisyah’s boyfriend, 26-year-old Malaysian Muhammad Farid Bin Jalaluddin, was taken into custody to assist with the investigation. The second female suspect was captured on security footage wearing a sweater with the text “LOL” and was carrying Vietnamese identification with the name Doan Thi Huong. Her behavior seems more suspicious, as she stayed at a cheap hotel near the airport before the attack, and had a big stack of cash on her. She then switched to a second hotel where she borrowed a pair of scissors from the front desk to cut her hair. The next day, which was the day of the attack, she went out for most of the day, and then checked out and switched to a third hotel.

Although Doan also claimed she thought she was part of a TV prank, it appears that at least some investigators didn’t quite buy it. One Malaysian investigator who spoke to Reuters on the condition of anonymity said: “If you ask me, do her movements indicate that she was an intelligence operative, then I would say yes,” he said.

Vietnamese woman with ‘LOL’ shirt stayed in cheap hotels, carried wad of cash and cut her hair a day before attack,https://t.co/Eh1ZvbvkDm

— Eddie Du (@Edourdoo) February 17, 2017

Kim was on his way to take a flight from Malaysia to Macau, where his family lives, when he was attacked on Monday. The details surrounding his death are still very unclear and at first reports claimed he was attacked with poison needles. Malaysian authorities have conducted an autopsy but have not released any information. The authorities say that they will not release his body to North Korea unless they get a DNA sample from a next of kin so they can make a positive identification. North Korea has so far refused to comply with that request, and North Korean officials have said that they will not accept the autopsy results because they had no witnesses present. And so far, no one from Kim’s family has claimed his body.

Emma Von Zeipel

Emma Von Zeipel is a staff writer at Law Street Media. She is originally from one of the islands of Stockholm, Sweden. After working for Democratic Voice of Burma in Thailand, she ended up in New York City. She has a BA in journalism from Stockholm University and is passionate about human rights, good books, horses, and European chocolate. Contact Emma at EVonZeipel@LawStreetMedia.com.

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Two daughters of the legendary blues artist B.B. King are insisting that their father’s recent death was not from natural causes, despite contrary initial autopsy reports. According to court documents, King’s daughters Patty King and Karen Williams allege that two of their father’s closest aides conspired to poison the “King of Blues” by administering diabetic shock-inducing drugs.

In two identically-worded affidavits, both women accused King’s aides, Louise Laverne Toney and Myron Johnson, of having administered “medications, fluids, and foreign objects” to King despite being “medically unlicensed.” The daughters claim that King was also “sequestered from all family members” and Toney, King’s business manager, and Johnson, his personal assistant, were the only individuals to have been in his presence for the week prior to his death. Both women wrote,

I believe my father was poisoned and that he was administered foreign substances to induce his premature death, and request a formal investigation into the matter.

…I believe my father was murdered.

According to CNN, King, 89, died May 14 while in home hospice care in Las Vegas. His preliminary autopsy report listed the cause of death as multi-infarct dementia, which is caused by a series of small strokes and can be a complication of diabetes. King had suffered from type 2 diabetes for over two decades and  was a high profile spokesman for the disease.

With all current signs pointing to diabetes as King’s cause of death, contention from both daughters may stem from control over his estate, which has been estimated at several million dollars. King, who was rumored to have fathered 15 children with 15 different women, named Toney, his employee of 39 years, as executor of his estate.

According to the Associated Press, Williams had attempted to take over as King’s guardian in an April 29 petition, in which Patty King and a third daughter, Rita Washington, accused Toney of elder neglect and embezzlement. However, on May 7 Clark County Family Court Hearing Master Jon Norheim said that “police and social services investigations in October and April uncovered no reason to take power-of-attorney from Toney” and dismissed the request.

Police are not currently investigating King’s death as a homicide and all parties have declined to comment, but a lawyer for King’s estate interviewed by the AP calls the allegations “ridiculous” and “extremely disrespectful” to King. Attorney Brent Bryson told the AP on Monday,

Three doctors determined that King was appropriately cared-for, and King received 24-hour care and monitoring by medical professionals “up until the time that he peacefully passed away in his sleep.”

At this time it doesn’t seem likely that investigators will change their stance on King’s death, but the lack of a formal investigation may do little to quell the conflict between King’s children and his associates. If the speculations surrounding the death of “American Top 40” voice Casey Kasem are any indication, the fall out could span years, which would be an unfortunate end for the famed musician’s legacy.

Alexis Evans

Alexis Evans is an Assistant Editor at Law Street and a Buckeye State native. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and a minor in Business from Ohio University. Contact Alexis at aevans@LawStreetMedia.com.

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