The man from Valcele village of Cantemir district, who is suspected of murdering his three minor sons, was close to divorcing the children’s mother who has worked in Chisinau for a period. Locals knew about the tensions in the family, but nobody expected such a tragic denouement.

Contacted by phone by IPN, Sergiu Beleuta, the mayor of Toceni village who administers also Valcele village, said the man aged 34 was peaceful and looked after his three sons with great care. He took them to the kindergarten, fed them and always dressed them clean. The local authorities never suspected that he was able to commit such a crime, even if they knew about the pressures in the family. The husband suspected his wife of infidelity and they were allegedly preparing for divorce. The grandfather of the children lived together with them and their father. This said that he heard nothing. Neighbors stated that they never saw the man maltreating his sons.

The tragedy happened on the night of July 16. The man alerted the police, saying he killed his three children, and then tried to kill himself. The three boys were aged one, four and six years. When the police officers arrived at the scene, they found the children dead with neck stab wounds. The man was rushed to the Cantemir District Hospital in a serious state as he attempted to cut his throat.

A criminal case over cruel murder was started against the man. He is to be subject to a psychiatric assessment to see if he was mentally healthy when he committed the crime. If faces up to 20 years in jail.