A 26-year-old man was arrested and taken to the Kampong Thom provincial police station on suspicion of killing his ex-wife on Monday.
Santuk District Police Chief Pich Khal said Am Phoeun is believed to have killed Prum Sophy, 24, after she refused to reconcile with him following their recent divorce.
“They divorced a few months ago through the village authorities. The woman declined to reunite because the suspect was allegedly a drunk and used violence against her,” Khal said.
Ly Pithou, Thma Samleang commune police chief, said Phoeun and Sophy are rubber company workers and have two sons, aged four and seven.
After their divorce, Pithou said, Sophy moved out of their home as she claimed Phoeun continued to be violent towards her. “The ex-husband is also a drug addict,” he said.
He said Phoeun rode his motorbike to where Sophy lived, about three kilometres away, and returned with blood on his hands about 30 minutes later.
He was seen by a local resident washing the blood off before Sophy’s body was found at the rubber plantation company the couple worked at. The resident reported the incident to police who arrested Phoeun.
