Serial killer

A Childhood of Torment

The story of this serial killer begins in 1962 with a boy named San, often called “Ai San” or “Shorty” because of his small stature. His mother remarried, and San was forced to live under the tyrannical rule of his new stepfather. The man frequently beat him, but San’s mother didn’t dare intervene. Her biological husband had abandoned them, and she relied entirely on the stepfather to survive and work their farm.

San didn’t go to school. Instead, his stepfather forced him to sit at home stripping jute stalks. When San was 15, he begged his mother to let him become a novice monk so he could finally get an education. Recognizing her son’s lifelong suffering, his mother agreed. But his stepfather had other plans.

“I’m not your father. I don’t expect merit from you. I won’t let you become a monk.”

When his mother tried to plead on San’s behalf, the stepfather turned his rage on her. He slapped her to the ground, grabbed a sharp stingray tail whip from the wall, and beat her mercilessly until she bled. The neighbors eventually intervened, but the damage was done. The dream of sanctuary was shattered.

The First Blood

Not long after the beating, the stepfather sent San to work as a pottery maker. Because he was so small, he became an easy target for bullying by the other workers, especially a large, cruel man named Juaab. San endured the humiliation, hiding an old knife he had found and sharpening it in his scarce free time.

When payday finally arrived around the New Year, San wanted to take his meager earnings back to his mother. However, his stepfather arrived to confiscate the salary. San begged to deliver it himself, but his stepfather refused, cursing and belittling him on the long walk home.

“You’re just a little puppy, don’t think you can be disobedient to me. I hope you’ll remember the taste of a stingray’s tail, Shorty.”

Those words triggered a breaking point. Remembering his mother’s screams and his own endless torment, San slowed his pace. He pulled his razor-sharp knife from his bag and stabbed his stepfather in the back repeatedly. As the man fell, San slit his throat, killing him instantly. He burned his blood-stained clothes, returned to his mother with the money, and feigned ignorance when the body was discovered. The rural police, assuming the despised man was killed in a random dispute, quickly dropped the case.

The Second Victim

San returned to his gruelling work at the pottery factory. His mother, seeking peace, had become a nun. Meanwhile, San continued to suffer under Juaab’s relentless bullying.

One late night, a drunken Juaab threw a liquor bottle at San’s head and began to insult him, calling him a dog. When San asked him to show some respect for the sake of his mother, the nun, Juaab scoffed. Enraged by the disrespect, San grabbed the very same knife that had killed his stepfather. He crept up behind Juaab and slashed his throat. Watching the bully twitch and die on the floor, San felt a dark, sadistic pleasure. He washed his blade, packed his bags, and fled into the night.

Betrayal and the Final Act

San escaped to a different province and found grueling work at a fish market. Despite his small size, he worked tirelessly, living in the freezing cold until he could afford a rented room. It was here that he met Nong, a food stall owner ten years his senior. Infatuated by her attention, San gave her all of his hard-earned money, believing they were building a future together.

One day, feeling ill, San returned home early. As he approached their bedroom, he heard Nong giggling with another man.

“Don’t stay too long, or that fool will finish catching the fish and see us, and then I won’t get any money from him. Once I’m established, we’ll run away together.”

San’s heart stopped. He waited in the shadows until the handsome, soldier-like man and Nong emerged and sat down to eat. Blinded by the ultimate betrayal, San crept up behind the young man and severed his windpipe with a single slash. As the market erupted in screams, Nong tried to flee. But San caught her, stabbing her repeatedly before slitting her throat.

The Execution

Surrounded by horrified onlookers and arriving police, San finally surrendered. The law showed no leniency for his bloody rampage, and he was sentenced to death.

His final request before his execution was a simple one: to see his mother, the nun, one last time. It was a tragic end to an unfortunate life—a boy whose innocence was slowly stripped away by a cruel world, transforming him into a monster.