Poking the bear in his cave
A Surat Thani man allegedly shot dead his ex-wife's new boyfriend, who despite having won the battle for her affections fatefully taunted him about it.
Sawiat police in Tha Chang district are looking for Sanchai "Dear" Phrahan, 36, for allegedly killing Thanakrit "Chong" Chueamun, 31, in a hail of bullets at his ex-wife's house.
Victim 'Chong'
His ex-wife, Sutatta (no surname given), aged 30, who turned up with her new love, Chong, in her black Toyota Yaris, said Mr Dear emerged from hiding and shot at Chong through the vehicle window.
When Chong tried to flee the vehicle, Mr Dear followed and kept shooting until the victim fell to the ground dead, she said.
The victim was shot once in the abdomen, three times in the left rib and once in the left thigh with a 9mm weapon. Mr Dear fled the scene, and police are looking for him.
A day before the shooting, Chong, who knew Mr Dear was reluctant to let Sutatta go, sent him a taunting message. He asked him if he could share Sutatta for the night.
"Tonight I am requesting [her]. Let's share the time," he said.
Mr Dear sent a copy of the online message to a relative complaining about it. The next day, unable to bear the insult to his pride any longer, he turned up at his ex-wife's house and hid in wait with his weapon.
News reports said Mr Dear and Sutatta were together two years, and signed their divorce papers just days before. They had no children together, though she brought two kids with her from a previous marriage.
Village head Thawatchai Auwat, or "Phuyai Lao", who is also Sutatta's uncle, said his niece started seeing Chong after breaking up with Mr Dear.
Alleged killer 'Dear'
On May 25, Mr Dear visited the house, complaining she was pressuring him into a divorce. He asked Phuyai Lao to help talk to her, since she was a relative.
Previously, Mr Dear had called Chong, telling him to stop interfering with his wife.
On May 27, Mr Dear called to say he had reluctantly signed the divorce papers. After that, Chong started sending mocking messages, the most recent on June 2, when he suggested "sharing" her.
"Personally, I feel sorry for Dear and believe my niece is the cause of Chong's death," Phuyai Lao said.
Sutatta's father also came forward, saying he had warned his daughter about dating Chong, who hails from Phitsanulok, after her breakup with Dear. However, he never thought it would escalate to this extent.
He called for justice for his daughter, saying he does not want everyone to regard her as the cause of the incident.
Meanwhile, Chong's friends say he was harmless, had a good personality and enjoyed posting humourous videos on Facebook.
As for his move from Phitsanulok to Surat Thani, they know only that he came to start a business.
Pol Col Surin Jainae, superintendent of Sawiat station, said they are seeking a warrant against Mr Dear on four charges including premeditated murder and firearms offences.
Nephew disguises beating death
A Khon Kaen man is urging the death penalty for his errant son, who murdered his aunt, allegedly over an inheritance dispute.
Singha picks up his aunt, who he had attacked.
Khampom police in Phra Yuen district nabbed Singha (surname withheld), 49, for bludgeoning to death his aunt, Boonma (surname withheld), 87, with a rock at her home.
Singha alerted police to her death, claiming she slipped and fell in the bathroom, but an examination of the body suggested the injuries were inconsistent with a mere fall, police said. She bore deep wounds to the face and head.
More incriminating still, locals say the victim tried to seek help from the village headman's assistant, crawling about 200m down the road in a bloodied state, before the suspect followed her and hit her again until she died.
Police took Singha in for questioning and he later confessed, citing accumulated stress from family problems and the burden of caring for his aunt (whom he called "grandma" according to local custom).
He said Boonma had been unable to care for herself for many years, and he lost his patience, hitting her. He lived alone with the victim, having driven his parents out of the house 10 years before.
Police, who found the victim's blood on a wooden bed outside the house, say a CCTV camera outside had been covered over before the incident. Footage only captured sounds of the assault and the victim's cries.
Boonma's relatives said she loved her nephew deeply, to the extent of giving him all her possessions, including two houses, farmland and several cows.
However, she had forbidden him from selling any more of it, after he secretly sold a chunk of the land without her consent. Relatives say he made millions of baht, but still did not have anything substantial.
The accused's father, Saengdao (surname withheld), 74, said he was shocked by Boonma's death. He believes his son planned to murder his aunt to reclaim the rest of her property.
Singh had frequently abused the old woman, Saengdao said tearfully from the victim's funeral at a nearby temple.
He also believes his son drove him and his wife from the house all those years ago partly in fear they would inherit the old woman's wealth.
Saengdao admitted his son is aggressive and hot-tempered. Since being evicted, he had not kept in touch with Singha, and had no desire to meet him.
"You have done wrong, and now you must face the consequences," he told his son through the media, adding he should face the death penalty for what he did.
After the cremation ceremony, he planned to consult a lawyer about how to reclaim the inheritance Boonma had given his son, which includes about 10 rai of farmland, some of which has since been sold, some plantation land and various other properties.
The only remaining assets are two houses, estimated to be worth over 3 million baht.
Police charged the perpetrator with premeditated murder, and concealing the cause of death.
Revolving courthouse door
Police in Pattaya nabbed a drug dealer who managed to cut an EM tracking device from her ankle so she could go back to plying her trade.
Police in Pattaya nab a drug dealer and a 13-year-old boy who was also selling speed.
Provincial Region 2 Police, joined by their Pattaya City counterparts, nabbed Bangorn, or "Katin" (no surname given), 39, a drug dealer in the Jomtien Beach area.
Drug enforcement officers have been conducting operations to crack down on drugs in the area and came upon a familiar face, Bangorn. They say she was found with 78 methamphetamine pills and 0.75 grammes of crystal meth.
They also discovered a 13-year-old boy with the suspect, along with 7 methamphetamine pills and 2.9 grammes of crystal meth. He also admitted selling drugs.
Officers expanded their search to the woman's apartment, where they found the discarded EM bracelet. She said she had been arrested six times before and was currently out on bail. She had cut off the EM bracelet because she wanted to return to drug dealing. "Getting arrested is no big deal; I'll be out again soon. I'm not worried about it," she told officers.
Locals also provided evidence in the form of a video showing her openly selling drugs to customers. No word was to hand as to what charges she will face, but police say suppression operations are ongoing.
