A deported American-Khmer man was arrested and charged in Battambang on Saturday over the killing of a 19-year-old, police said.

According to officials, on October 15, former US resident Nhim Sam Ath, 34, asked Tep Tith Samol, 19, to drive him to Bavel district.

The pair rode to the Cambodian-Thai border to buy drugs. “[Later] Nhim Sam Ath used an old axe on the victim’s head, causing the victim to die immediately,” said Colonel Cheth Vanny.

Sam Ath was charged with intentional murder, while Morn Khoeun, 24, and Touch Ty, 33, were charged as accomplices.