In March 2011, a Manhattan resident named Sui Kam “Tony” Tung brutally murdered Robert Cantor. As per reports, Tung found out about his estranged wife’s affair with Cantor and killed her lover by shooting him in the head. The gruesome murder case will be featured in this week’s episode of Dateline NBC and reveal how Tung had to face two trials for the murder of Robert Cantor. The episode, titled ‘The Room Downstairs,’ will air on the network on Thursday, January 4, at 10 p.m. ET.
Reports indicate that Tony Tung entered Robert Cantor’s house and led him and his estranged wife into the basement bedroom. As soon as they entered the room, Tung’s wife told him that she and Cantor first had sex in this very bedroom. Without thinking twice, Tung killed Robert Cantor by shooting him in the head. Afterwards, the killer doused alcohol on Cantor’s body and set his body ablaze.
Tung was named the prime suspect in the case and arrested for the murder of Robert Cantor. As a result, Tung went to trial and was found guilty in the case. In 2016, the court sentenced him to life plus 10 years. However, in 2019, an appeals court overturned his conviction and ordered a new trial.
As per the Associated Press, the judges ruled that the “errors” made during the first trial didn’t give Tony Tung a chance to receive a fair trial. Ultimately, Tony Tung got another chance to prove his innocence. Unfortunately, the defense team couldn’t convince the jury that Tung was not responsible for Cantor’s murder. The jury found Tony Tung guilty of all the charges and sentenced him to life imprisonment.
Tony Tung’s murder case explored
In March 2011, Tony Tung killed his estranged wife’s lover in Teaneck, New Jersey. According to the authorities, Tung fled the scene and destroyed all the computer evidence. Soon after his arrest, the prosecution team started building a case that would prove that Tung was indeed the killer. During the trial, the prosecution team told the jury how Tung entered Cantor’s house and killed him, per the Associated Press. Although the investigators couldn’t find DNA, a weapon, or fingerprints, the prosecutors didn’t leave any stone unturned to tell the jury that only Tony Tung had the motive to kill Cantor.
According to CBS News, Tung’s ex-wife also testified at the trial and noted that Tung showed a handgun before telling her that she and Cantor’s lives were in danger. Meanwhile, the defense continued to argue that Tony Tung was innocent and slammed the authorities for not looking into any other potential suspects. However, the jury found Tung guilty and sentenced him to life in prison.
But, in 2019, an appeals court found a lot of errors in the trial and overturned his conviction. According to the judges, the prosecution team failed to provide evidence that Tung fled the scene after the murder and traveled to New Jersey. The court also noted that the prosecutors relied on “circumstantial evidence of a strong motive, a false claim of being home all night except for a trip to buy beer, as well as the timing of the defendant’s massive computer wipe.”
The appeals court also mentioned that the trial court allowed the prosecution team to indicate Tony Tung’s guilt by continuously mentioning his pursuit of an attorney and denial of searches for his car and computer. This influenced “the jury to make negative inferences,” even though such rights are constitutionally protected.
Tung found guilty again in the second trial
A second trial began in 2023. After 8 weeks of deliberations, the jury found Tony Tung guilty of murdering Robert Cantor and sentenced him to life. According to New Jersey’s Department of Corrections, Tung is currently serving his sentence at the New Jersey State Prison.
