A commune clerk accused of beating his wife and 2-year-old son to death with a hoe and leading police on a high-speed car chase through Sihanoukville has been charged with premeditated murder, a court official said on Wednesday.
Oum Reaksmey, 35, was charged in the Kampot Provincial Court on Tuesday afternoon, court spokesman Khan Sophal said.
Mr. Reaksmey, who worked for 15 years at Koh Touch commune in Kampot province’s Toek Chhou district, is suspected of fatally beating his wife and son at their home early on Monday morning, then speeding off with his 4-year-old son in a Toyota Corolla, police said.
Officials said two police cars and three motorcycles chased Mr. Reaksmey for 20 minutes before securing his arrest, and that he confessed to the killings during questioning on Monday.
Mr. Sophal, the court spokesman, said Mr. Reaksmey was suspected of being on drugs at the time of the killings, and that the court was investigating his history of drug abuse and mental illness, as his motives remained unclear.
Premeditated murder carries a life sentence.
