Suriname man accused of killing nine, including his children, dies by suicide in police custody

Man accused of stabbing nine people to death in Suriname kills himself in custody

A man accused of killing nine people, including four of his own children, died by suicide while in police custody in Suriname, authorities said on Monday, bringing a grim turn to one of the country’s deadliest violent incidents in recent years.

The suspect, a 43-year-old man identified only by the initials D.A., was found dead in a police station cell in the capital Paramaribo on Monday morning, a day after his arrest. Police said he hanged himself while in custody.

According to investigators, the man was suspected of carrying out a stabbing rampage late Saturday night and early Sunday in and around his home in Richelieu, a village in the Commewijne district about 25 kilometres east of Paramaribo. Four of his children, aged between five and 15, were among those killed.

Police said other victims included the children’s grandparents and a child from the neighbourhood. Two additional people were hospitalised with stab wounds, while another child and an adult were reported to be in serious condition.

Police chief Melvin Pinas said the suspect appeared to have been suffering from mental health problems. Investigators believe the violence began after a dispute with his wife. Local media reported that the man had argued with his estranged wife over the phone before attacking his children.

Two of the suspect’s children reportedly managed to escape and sought help from relatives nearby. Several family members who came to assist were also killed in the attack, police said.

During his arrest, the suspect attempted to attack responding officers and was shot in the legs, according to the Suriname Police Corps. He was hospitalised before being transferred to a police cell on Sunday evening. Authorities said he was being closely monitored.

Justice and Police Minister Harish Monorath told local radio station ABC that the suspect remained under observation after being moved from the hospital to the detention cell.

Reacting to the incident, Surinamese President Jennifer Geerlings-Simons said in a Facebook post that the attacker had taken the lives of his children and neighbours.

“I wish all the bereaved much strength, resilience, and comfort in this unimaginably difficult time,” Geerlings-Simons said.

The killings have shocked the small South American nation, which has a population of about 600,000 and has historically recorded one of the region’s lowest murder rates. That trend shifted in 2024, when the homicide rate rose to 30 per 100,000 people, according to data from the think tank InSight Crime.

Authorities said investigations into the circumstances surrounding the killings and the suspect’s death in custody are ongoing.