A man on Sunday detonated a hand-grenade while clutching his nephew after a drunken argument over a missing telephone, killing them both, police said.
Chan Doul, the police chief in Tbong Khmum province’s Memot district, said the incident occurred in Memot commune at about 2:30 p.m. after 63-year-old Sam Sarath and 43-year-old Khonh Kha had spent the morning drinking heavily at a mutual friend’s house in Trabek village.
Mr. Doul said that both men finished drinking and left for their homes at about 12 p.m., whereupon Sam Sarath realized his mobile phone was missing.
Sam Sarath then rode his motorbike to Khonh Kha’s house to ask for his phone, which Khonh Kha denied having, Mr. Doul said.
Sam Sarath left and returned about 10 minutes later, walked over to Khonh Kha, grabbed him tightly, and detonated the grenade.
Mr. Doul said Sam Sarath’s last words to the victim were, “If you love me, we both should die together.”
Mr. Doul said both men had previously had a close relationship, and that the lost phone was the most likely motive for the murder.
