A former soldier who served prison time for killing a colleague was accused of hacking his father to death with an ax while he was sleeping on Wednesday in Battambang province, according to a National Police report.
Boeurn Sok, 40, who was released from prison two years ago after serving 13 years for the murder of another soldier, ran from the house after Wednesday’s killing and was caught several hours later in a rice field, said Sum Sorg, police chief of Mong Russei district’s Robos Mongkol commune.
Mr. Sok’s 65-year-old father, Bich Boeurn, died soon after being rushed to the provincial referral hospital, police said.
Mr. Sok, a former soldier in Mong Russei, had a history of an unknown mental illness, said Kith Heang, the district police chief.
Additionally, the suspect’s family “has a history of brutality,” said Touch Him, the Robos Mongkol commune chief.
Police said they were still trying to determine a motive for the murder.
The suspect was being detained on Thursday at the provincial police headquarters, Mr. Heang said.
