A man who admitted to killing his neighbor with a homemade rifle over an unpaid debt was charged on Thursday with premeditated murder at the Preah Vihear Provincial Court, deputy provincial police chief Keo Chamroeun said.
Dy Choeun, 33, was arrested at his home in Chey Sen district’s Thmea commune on Tuesday after he fatally shot 27-year-old Sim Thy from behind as he slept in a hut with his wife next to their rice fields, Mr. Chamroeun said.
Sim Thy, who died at the scene, had owed Mr. Choeun money since 2013, when the pair cut and sold wood together, but had skipped town to avoid paying him, Mr. Chamroeun said.
The victim returned in July after being gone for three years and “when the suspect saw him, he plotted to kill him by buying a homemade gun for 100,000 riel,” or about $25, he said, adding that Mr. Choeun also tried to kill Sim Thy last month.
Mr. Choeun was sent to the provincial prison to await trial after being charged, he said.
