Man in Cambodia allegedly stabs monk to death & sets body on fire, remains at scene to watch it burn

Man arrested for allegedly killing monk and setting fire to his body

Cambodian police arrested a 26-year-old man after he allegedly killed a monk and set the body on fire at a temple in Preah Sihanouk province.

The victim was identified as Soy Sam Ean (name transliterated from Khmer), a 22-year-old resident monk at Wat Putthakiri Thmor Da, also known as Wat Thmor Da Krom, in Prey Nob district.

Monk allegedly attacked following personal dispute

According to local media reports, the incident occurred early Wednesday (21 Oct) morning.

The suspect, a construction worker named Hoeum Sophea (name transliterated from Khmer), assaulted the monk with a stick.

He then used a machete to stab the victim to death, Khlem News reported.

Body allegedly moved & set on fire

After the killing, Sophea allegedly loaded the monk’s corpse onto a cart and transported it to an area behind the temple.

He then poured 30 litres of petrol on the body and set it alight.

Instead of fleeing, he remained at the scene and watched as the monk’s remains burned.

Suspect arrested at temple

The Prey Nop District Police were alerted to the incident. They arrested Sophea upon arriving at the scene.

During interrogation, the suspect reportedly confessed to killing the monk and cited their longstanding grudge as the motive.

Police also recovered evidence from the scene and transferred the suspect to the Prey Nob District Police Inspectorate for further investigation.

Authorities will use the suspect and the evidence to build a case for legal action, Thy News reported.

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Featured image adapted from Khlem News Media.