Police arrested a teacher in Takhmao City on Friday for stabbing his girlfriend to death the night before to avoid getting married to her, an official said.
Rom Song Heng, 21, an English teacher at the Beltei International Institute’s Takhmao branch, was arrested at his rented room in the city shortly before noon on Friday after the body of Phen Sopheavy, 23, another teacher at the school, was found in Kandal province’s Sa’ang district to the south, according to district police chief Seng Socheat.
Mr. Socheat said the woman’s body was discovered in thick scrub about 200 meters from a main road early Friday morning, covered in stab wounds.
“The body had many wounds on the face, neck, chest and stomach,” he said, adding that police tracked down Mr. Song Heng after identifying the body of Phen Sopheavy, who had rented a small room near the suspect’s.
The police chief said Mr. Song Heng readily admitted to killing his girlfriend on their way to sign a marriage certificate at the woman’s home village.
“The victim, she had asked her boyfriend to go and meet with authorities and make a marriage certificate,” Mr. Socheat said, adding that Mr. Song Heng was opposed to the idea because he still had feelings for his ex-girlfriend.
“The suspect killed the victim because his current girlfriend asked him to cut off ties with his previous girlfriend,” he said.
While driving the victim’s motorbike to her village at about 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Mr. Song Heng faked a stomachache and turned down a dirt road on the pretext of defecating in the brush, Mr. Socheat said, citing the suspect’s confession.
Upon reaching a quiet clearing, he said, Mr. Song Heng produced a small folding knife and stabbed his girlfriend. The suspect then flung the blade into the trees and rode home in a taxi, he added.
