River Valley High School death: 18-year-old admits to killing schoolmate with axe
An 18-year-old on Friday (Dec 1) pleaded guilty to killing his schoolmate on River Valley High School's campus.
He admitted to slashing the head, neck and body of a 13-year-old boy inside a school toilet on July 19, 2021.
The younger boy was pronounced dead at the scene.
During the hearing on Friday, the court lifted the gag order on the victim's identity at the request of his parents, naming him as Ethan Hun Zhe Kai, reported CNA.
Police investigations showed that the pair did not know each other.
The offender had picked his victim "entirely at random" to carry out a plan which would result in his own death as the police intervened in a life-threatening situation, the court heard.
He was also found to have watched online videos that desensitised him to the taking of a life.
The teen was initially handed a murder charge, but it was later reduced to culpable homicide not amounting to murder after the Institute of Mental Health assessed that he was suffering from clinical depression at the time of the offence.
The prosecution, deeming the case as "truly unprecedented", is seeking a jail term of 12 to 16 years for the teen.
The defence is asking for five years' imprisonment.
Those convicted of culpable homicide not amounting to murder can be jailed for up to 20 years, fined or caned, or receive any combination of such punishments.
As the suspect was 16 at the time of the offence, he cannot be named under the Children and Youth Act.
SINGAPORE HELPLINES
- Samaritans of Singapore: 1-767
- Singapore Association for Mental Health: 1800-283-7019
- Care Corner Counselling Centre (Mandarin): 1800-353-5800
- Institute of Mental Health's Mental Health Helpline: 6389-2222
- Silver Ribbon: 6386-1928
READ ALSO: Sec 4 student from River Valley High charged with murder of schoolmate took O levels in remand
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