A Phnom Penh Municipal Court judge found a man guilty of intentional murder, after he confessed to strangling his brother-in-law who had drawn the defendant’s resentment through drunken arguments over several years.

Chrin Chry, a 26-year-old motodop, yesterday asked for leniency in his sentencing, after confessing to using a shirtsleeve to strangle Song Sey, 35, to death, in the heat of one of their numerous disputes.

The incident occurred in the capital’s Russei Keo district on September 26.

“The reason I strangled him to death is because he always created trouble with me every time he was drinking with me and got drunk; he also always hit my head when he was drunk,” Chry said in court yesterday. “I now acknowledge my mistake, and would like to ask the court to reduce my sentence.”

Judge Im Vanak’s verdict means he now faces a prison sentence of between 10 and 15 years.

The court will hand down Chry’s sentence for his conviction on the morning of April 24, Vanak said yesterday.