Unrequited love and jealousy over a suspected relationship between the victim and his best friend are believed to have motivated the murder of 16-year-old Irene Sofiya Mohd Khairool Faisal in Yong Peng, Johor, police said.
Johor police chief Datuk AB Rahaman Arsad said the suspected motive emerged during questioning of the 16-year-old suspect, who was Irene’s classmate.
“Recent investigations indicate that the suspected motive was the suspect’s resentment towards the victim for rejecting his romantic advances,” he said at a press conference on Friday.
Police also believe the suspect was unhappy because Irene was allegedly in a relationship with his best friend. However, Rahaman stressed that investigators were still examining the circumstances surrounding the case.
Irene, a Form Four student, was found dead at the hall of SMK Dato’ Seth in Yong Peng, Batu Pahat, on October 3.
A post-mortem examination found that she died from blunt force trauma to the head.
Rahaman said injuries were also found on several parts of Irene’s body, with wounds on her hands suggesting that she may have tried to defend herself during the attack.
“We do not rule out a struggle between the two, based on several injuries found on Irene Sofiya’s hands,” he said.
He also confirmed that investigators had found no evidence of an attempted rape against the victim so far.
The investigation led to the arrest of three teenage boys, with one 16-year-old suspect remanded to assist police in their investigation under Section 302 of the Penal Code for murder.
Police seized several items linked to the case, including a 96cm-long metal rod wrapped with a necktie, which is believed to have been used in the attack.
Rahaman said the completed investigation papers would be referred to the Johor State Prosecution Director’s Office on Friday for further instructions.
The main suspect’s remand was also extended for another six days, beginning Saturday, as investigations continue.
