Jessica Cariad Hopkins, a British woman, was found stabbed to death in a Cambodian park following an argument over what authorities described as a “love triangle.” According to a statement from the General Commissariat of National Police, the 34-year-old was discovered dead at a park close to Koh Pich City Hall in the capital city of Phnom Penh just before midnight on August 29.
Hopkins’ sandals were found next to her body as she lay in the grass in the park in the city’s Chamkar Mon neighborhood. Police reported that a bloodied knife, the murder weapon, was discovered nearby.
The statement said that after a brief investigation, police located Kidikila Nganda Glodie, 33, of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in a nearby salon at 3:30 p.m. on August 30 and took her into custody in relation to Hopkins’ murder.
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According to the police statement, the suspect stabbed Hopkins in the throat. According to the Khmer Times, Deputy Chief Captain Em Vichetr of the Criminal Investigation Office stated that Hopkins and Glodie shared a home in the Chroy Changvar area and were roommates.
“This murder is a love triangle cause,” according to the statement.
The Khmer Times said that the two women reportedly rode a moped to Koh Pich, where they sat in the park and began to argue, according to police.
Vichetr reported on August 30 that the suspect “knocked the victim down and pushed her to the ground” before wielding a knife and stabbing Hopkins “many times” in the throat. The suspect then left the scene.
Brigadier General Bun Satya, a Deputy Chief of the Phnom Penh Municipal Police, said that the suspect killed Hopkins because of a man, according to the Khmer Times.
The Phnom Penh police commissioner, Chuon Narin, described the incident as perhaps connected to a “love triangle” and said initial results suggested that the motive might have been personal jealousy.
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According to Satya, the suspect expressed suspicion that her boyfriend was having an affair.
“During the interrogation after her arrest, the suspect confessed that she had killed the victim because she was angry at her for having an affair with her Congolese boyfriend,” Satya recalled.
The Khmer Times reported that Glodie will likely face murder charges.
According to People, Hopkins’ Facebook page suggests that she is from Harpenden, a little town about 33 miles northwest of London.
In a heartfelt Facebook post, her friend Sophors Chheoun said, “I am heartbroken to lose my lovely neighbor and dear friend Jessica Cariad Hopkins. She was such a caring person, always there for me and my family, helping in ways big and small. Her kindness, her smile, and her generous heart meant so much to me.
“It feels unreal that she is gone. My heart aches knowing such a beautiful soul was taken from us too soon. Rest in peace, Jessica. You will forever be missed and remembered with love.”
