Father accused of attacking son with meat cleaver

WEST VALLEY CITY — A 39-year-old West Valley father is accused of attacking his son with a meat cleaver, cutting two of his fingers in the process, and allegedly telling the boy he was going to die.

Bhan Thor was charged Oct. 22 in 3rd District Court with aggravated child abuse, a first-degree felony.

On Oct. 15, Thor became angry at his 11-year-old son for getting in trouble at school, according to charging documents. The boy told police he then "heard Thor looking in a drawer for a knife, and once he retrieved a knife he was looking (for)… he put the knife on the table and told (the boy) that 'he and (the boy) were going to die that day,'" the charges state.

Thor told the boy to "tell his sisters goodbye" and then "instructed him to sit and began hitting him with the 'flat, non-sharp side of the knife' on (the boy's) hands. Thor then started swinging the knife at (the boy), causing the 'sharp edge of the knife' to cut (the boy's) finger," according to charging documents.

Prosecutors further described the knife as a "meat cleaver."

"Initially, the defendant struck the victim's hands with the flat side of the knife before turning the sharp edge of the knife on his hand, causing two separate cuts to his hands. The victim, believing he was going to die, escaped the home and walked over 3½ miles, barefoot, to a local store where he knew officers would be, and reported the incident," the charges state.

Prosecutors have requested that Thor be held without the possibility of posting bail pending trial.

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