An unemployed Battambang man on Wednesday confessed to murdering his elderly father at their home in the province after his father refused to give him 1,000 riel to buy alcohol, police said.
Seuth Sin, 34, struck his father, Deing Seuth, 74, three times in the head with a hammer while outside their house in Banan district at about 4:10 p.m. on Tuesday and was arrested there later in the day, according to district police chief Thorng Thin.
Police learned of the crime after a farmer heard screams coming from the family’s house in Chhoeuteal commune, Mr. Thin said.
The farmer attempted to gather neighbors and intervene, he said, but was too late. Questioned at the district police station on Wednesday, Mr. Sin confessed to the crime, saying he lost his temper when his father used a request for more money—1,000 riel, or about $0.25—to question him about his drinking habits, Mr. Thin said.
“It is unbelievable that the son would use the hammer to kill his father,” he said. “A son should love his father and take care of him.”
