A son who allegedly hacked his father to death with an axe in Prey Ruong village, in Svay Ontor district’s Damrei Puon commune, has been charged with murder by a Prey Veng provincial prosecutor.

The man was detained in the provincial prison on Saturday following the incident, which occurred after a party on Thursday night.

Pov Chivy, the provincial deputy police chief for serious crimes, told The Post on Sunday that the suspect had been identified as Leng Horn, 23 – the eldest of two sons – while the victim was named as 50-year-old Leng Sao.

“The suspect was provisionally detained in accordance with an arrest warrant issued by the Prey Veng provincial court,” he said.

Damrei Puon commune police chief Phoeng Vorn said the family regularly argued and that the father had a violent temper.

“The victim would provoke family arguments and would sometimes beat his wife with the blunt end of an axe. Sometimes he would hit a buffalo with it instead. The man was very vicious,” Vorn said.

A party attended by four or five people was held at the family home on Thursday night. After the guests had left, the father and son were drinking together when they began arguing.

The victim went up the stairs to the house, stepping on the suspect’s mobile phone and breaking it. Enraged, the son picked up an axe and hit a buffalo with it before ascending the steps and attacking his father.

Neighbours came to help after hearing the victim’s wife’s cries, but the suspect continued his assault, fatally hacking his father in the throat a number of times.

When police arrived on the scene, the suspect brandished the axe as he resisted arrest, before he eventually surrendered at around 4am following pleas from his family. He was then taken into custody.