MALAYSIA: MAN SENTENCED TO DEATH OVER MURDER OF FRIEND’S CHILDREN

June 30, 2025:

The High Court in Alor Setar has sentenced a man to death for murdering his friend’s two young children six years ago, Free Malaysia Today reported on June 30, 2025.
Amir Ariffin slit the throats of Nurul Hanim and Hafiz – aged five and two at the time – because he was “angry” at their father for allegedly lying to him.
The court was told that Amir had a hot temper, and that on the night of Jan 8, 2019, he went to his friend’s house armed with two swords.
The children’s mother awoke after hearing a fight between Amir and her brother in the kitchen. Amir also tried to attack her, but she and her brother managed to escape to a neighbour’s house.
The court heard that after the mother and uncle fled, Amir entered the children’s room and killed them while they slept.
After committing the crime, Amir went to the neighbour’s house and shouted, “The children have bathed in blood” (anak-anak dah mandi darah dah) before leaving.
He was arrested by the police the next day.
Judicial Commissioner Evawani Farisyta Mohammad ruled that Amir had failed to raise reasonable doubt on the prosecution’s case.
“The defence failed to show evidence that he was of unsound mind when he committed the offence,” she said.
The court noted that while the defence had intended to call a consultant forensic psychiatrist to testify, they ultimately did not do so.
Amir, the sole defence witness, claimed he was “unaware” of what happened that night. The court ruled that his defence amounted to a bare denial.
“This is an exceptional case that warrants the court to impose the death penalty.
“Both the deceased (children) were innocent and defenceless when they were attacked by the accused, due to his ‘anger’ towards their father,” Evawani said.