A 37-year-old man was arrested Wednesday as a suspect in the rape and murder of a 13-year-old girl in Battambang province, police said.
Khleung Sun was arrested at his home in Ratanak Mondol district around midday after the body of the victim was found naked with numerous stab wounds near a canal just 300 meters from the suspect’s home, according to deputy provincial police chief Ros Lemseun.
“The body had six knife wounds: three in the back, one in the stomach, one in the side and one in the back of the head—the fatal blow,” he said.
“Police arrested a suspect and he is being held at the [district] police office and will be transferred to the provincial police office [today] for further questioning,” Mr. Lemseun said, adding that Mr. Sun had admitted to murdering the girl but denied raping her.
“The suspect and the victim knew each other and the victim was killed in a very cruel fashion,” he said.
The victim had left her family home around 8 a.m. Tuesday and walked about 6 km to where their cattle were grazing. When she failed to return a few hours later, her parents grew worried and went looking for her, according to Andoeuk Heb commune chief Phan Sophal.
“Around midday, the family found the body in a canal,” Mr. Sophal said.
Mr. Sophal added that while the suspect and victim knew each other, the suspect was relatively new to the area
“During questioning, the suspect told police that he threw the victim’s clothes away and we found them covered in blood near the scene,” said Andoeuk Heb commune police chief Huot Chanrin. “But we have not found the knife.”
