Child Witnesses Grandmother’s Stabbing Death

A 65-year-old woman was stabbed multiple times and died on Sunday in her Kompong Thom province home as her 12-year-old granddaughter hid under a bed, witnessing the ferocious attack, officials said Monday.

Sieng Kimhou was relaxing in a hammock in her Chong Doung commune home on Sunday evening when an unidentified man shot an iron arrow into her house, said deputy commune chief Pich So.

Mr. So said the arrow did not hit Sieng Kimhou, or any of her three grandchildren who were also at the house.

But an unidentified assailant wearing a military-issue camouflage shirt then entered the home and stabbed Sieng Kimhou with a knife, said Mr. So.

“A man climbed into the house and stabbed her to death,” said Mr. So. “The man wore a hat which covered his face and he was in paratrooper clothes.”

Provincial deputy penal police chief Ker Khannara said two of Sieng Kimhou’s three granddaughters were able to flee as the murder took place, but one of them hid inside the home.

“[Sieng Kimhou] shouted for her grandchildren to escape, but one child among the three could not escape and decided to hide herself under a bed,” he said.

“She saw all the activities when her grandmother was killed. She cannot identify the suspect; she is still shaking and frightened.”

Mr. Khannara said Sieng Kimhou was stabbed violently and repeatedly for a period of about five minutes, and her intestines were no longer inside her body when she was found.

“She got deep injuries. She was injured on her body and her hands, and her intestines were out,” he said.

Mr. Khannara said police suspect the murder was motivated by revenge as nothing was stolen from Sieng Kimhou’s home after the attack.

He added that there had been rumors among some villagers that the victim was practicing sorcery—which has previously led to murders in Cambodia, especially in rural areas—but that the motive in this case remained unclear.

“We are investigating the case in order to arrest the suspect,” he said.

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