Supreme Court upholds trio’s conviction for killing a woman

Buth Reaksmey Kongkea 

Phnom Penh Appeal Court on April 28  upheld the sentencing of two men and a woman, for killing a garment worker in 2018. 

The Phnom Penh Municipal court handed down prison terms ranging from 30 years to life sentence in 2019. 

“The Judges’ Council of Phnom Penh Appeal Court has considered that the ruling made by the Phnom Penh Municipal Court is appropriate for the heinous crime,” said the court’s presiding judge Yun Narong.

He identified the accused as Eth Chay, 31, Keo Sophaneth, 28 and his wife Ath Oeun, 31. 

All the three were charged with “premeditated murder” under Article 200 of the criminal code.

The court identified the victim as Khnoey Soeng, female, 31, a money lender who was working with a Chinese-owned garment factory in Prey Veng province.




The murder took place in June 2018 at the home of the accused in Treav 2 Village, in in Phnom Penh’s Meanchey district. And the body of the victim was later found by villagers in a canal. 

According to the Court’s document read by Judge Narong, the three had borrowed money from the victim. For about 7 months before the murder, the accused had each borrowed from $20 to $50 per month to improve their bread selling business.  

They sold bread near the garment factory where the victim worked. 




He went on to say that after borrowing the money, and knowing that the woman had money, jewellery and a luxury motorbike, planned to murder her and steal her property.

He added that on the day of the murder, Oeun called the victim and told her to come to the rented room and collect repayment of the money while Sophaneth and Chay hid inside. 

“But when the victim entered Oeun's rental room, Sophaneth and Chay grabbed her and tied both her legs and hands with electric wires,” Judge Narong read from the document.

 “While the two accused men caught and tied the victim, Oeun took wires to strangle her,” he said.

He added that they were later arrested in Prey Veng Province.  They were arrested in accordance with the complaint of the victim’s family after she disappeared without reason on June 19.

 During yesterday's appeal hearing, the accused, who presented at the courtroom, admitted committing the offence, saying that they killed the victim to steal her property. 



The accused added that they did not have any money to repay her. 

They said that they appealed the ruling of the lower court because the sentences given by the lower court were very high.

 They asked the Appeals Court to reduce the sentences.

 

 









Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Laotian gets life for drug trafficking

Image
Buth Reaksmey Kongkea The Phnom Penh Municipal Court has sentenced a Laotian drug trafficker to life imprisonment after the 42-year-old was convicted of trafficking about 7 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine. Presiding Judge Sin Sovannroath said Houa Choua was from Champasak province’s Moeung Khong district, Laos.     “The Phnom Penh Municipal Court has decided to sentence the accused Houa Choua to a life sentence and a fine of 100 million riels,” Judge Sovannroath said in his judgment yesterday.   He said that the accused was charged with “drug possessing, transport and trafficking” under Article 40 of Cambodian Law on Drugs Control and with “money Laundering” under Articles 38 of the Law on Anti-Money Laundering and Financing.   Judge Sovannroath stated that Houa Choua was arrested by police at a guesthouse in Por Senchey district’s Kakab commune on October 16, 2022, night.  Houa Choua was detained after he had transported the drugs by car from the Cambodia-Lao border in
Read more

Sorn Elit, the Tallest Cambodian Taekwando Champion

BY BUTH REAKSMEY KONGKEA There are 18 Taekwondo fighters on the national team, according to Hem Samnang, Secretary General of the Cambodian Taekwondo Federation (CTF). He was speaking to The Southeast Asia Weekly on July 22. The Secretary General said that Sorn Elit, 22, is currently the best Taekwondo fighter in Cambodia. He has attended many competitions both at home and abroad and has achieved success in both fields. In 2008, he won the national heavyweight title in the Taekwondo championships. “I am very proud of Sorn Elit as he is the best fighter in Cambodia,” Samnang said. “I believe that he will continue to bring honor to the country, the sport and himself as he competes in still more competitions at home and in the international fighting arena. He is completely committed to his training schedule and is a credit to the sport.” The Secretary General said that to improve Elit’s skills, the CTF sent him to get Taekwondo training in South Korea over two weeks in 2007. The CTF plans
Read more

Chan Tra: Life of a Cambodian Traditional Tattoo Artist

BY BUTH REAKSMEY KONGKEA Among tattooists in Cambodia, Chan Tra, 46, is the only tattoo artist to retain the ability to ink a wide range of subjects in different styles. His modern counterparts are limited in their repertoire in comparison. His subjects include the human form, birds and abstract patterns. Chan Tra is now an expert in drawing Ankor Wat on the skin of foreign clients, thus turning them into walking, talking promotional materials for Cambodia’s tourist sector. Chan Tra was born in 1963 in Sihanouk province and has two sons and one daughter. He is an orphaned and a Survivor of the Khmer Rouge regime. He lost his entire family during the years of terror between 1975 and 1979. “I have loved drawing and painting ever since I was a child and practised my art every day before the arrival of the Pol Pot regime. Consequently, I like the art of tattooing and it makes a solid source of income to keep my wife and kids happy,” he told The Southeast Asia Weekly during a personal i
Read more