Four suspects accused of killing a student from a rival gang with a samurai-style sword were charged on Wednesday with murder, Phnom Penh Municipal Court spokesman Ly Sophanna said.
Student Hong Sun Ey, 16, and three men, Noeurn Makara, 25, Sao Vathey, 20, and Long Seng, 18, admitted to attacking 16-year-old Oeun Samorn after he taunted them as they stood outside a soft drink shop, police said.
They each denied having taken the final, deadly strike at the victim, a student at Chumpou Voan High School, but “after questioning, the court charged the four suspects with murder,” Mr. Sophanna said on Wednesday.
The charge is punishable by 10 to 15 years in prison.
Mr. Sophanna said the court also issued arrest warrants for three additional suspects who remained at large.
Chea Sovann, a deputy district police chief, said no warrant had yet been received, but officers would begin searching for them as soon as it arrived.
The four charged suspects were to remain at the district police station overnight, as police “received the detention order from the court very late,” he said, and would be sent to prison today.
