Debt, drugs and death in Phatthalung midnight murder mystery

The story has emerged in today’s Bangkok Post of a Phatthalung woman who was making her way to the hospital after escaping the clutches of her abusive husband. Already in a state of shock, 26 year old Dararat Songnui was further traumatised by the site of her husband’s corpse by the road.

Suphamit Chandee had been stabbed to death. A sharpened reinforcement rod lay by the 33 year old’s side, the very weapon, earlier wielded against his cowering wife at their home in Kuan Kanun district. Early in the morning, high on drugs, Suphamit had stabbed his wife and driven her from the house, threatening to kill her.

Dararat’s 17 year old brother, Nong Frame, heard the commotion and followed the pair on his bike. When he caught up with Suphamit, his sister was nowhere to be seen. She had almost reached the police station more than a kilometre away. Suphamit was standing on the road alone.

Nong stopped his bike and challenged Suphamit, “Where’s my sister? What have you done to her?”

Suphamit immediately set about Nong and started stabbing at him, but the enraged druggie was no match for Nong’s teenage strength. The 17 year old grabbed the weapon and stabbed Suphamit until he fell. Suphamit was found with four stab wounds, including one to his head and his throat. Nong handed himself into the police.

Nong said…

“When I arrived at the scene I couldn’t find my sister and assumed he had killed her. “I stabbed him in self-defence.”

Later, Dararat recalled what had happened at home. She said…

“I had taken a shower and was about to go to bed, but my husband was talking to himself, muttering that someone was trying to kill him.

“He was walking in and out, slamming the door. I told him not to make so much noise, but he flared up, slapped my face and tried to strangle me.”

Suphamit grabbed the metal rod used for sorting rubbish and stabbed her in the stomach.

“He said I should run, because if he caught me he would kill me. So I ran to the police.”

Dararat had almost reached the station when her mother arrived on a motorbike and picked her up and went to exchange the motorcycle for a pickup to take Daratrat to hospital.

They didn’t know Suphamit was dead but they were afraid he would return and start attacking her again. As they headed to the hospital, they came across Suphamit’s body. Nong, still at the scene, told them he was dead.

Dararat said her husband was normally good-natured and hard-working, but had recently started taking drugs and would hallucinate. If it wasn’t for Nong, Dararat is sure she would be dead.

At Suphamit’s funeral, his father, Prasit Chandee, doubted the claims. He said the murder was a set up to avoid a debt. Suphamit, he said, had visited him on September 24, and told him that a relative of his wife’s borrowed some money that was never repaid. When a relative asked for more, he refused, leading to a row with his wife.

Prasit said…

“I believe my son was killed to expunge the debt and they asked Nong Frame to do the deed because as a teen he would get a more lenient sentence.”

Early news reports said that when Dararat arrived at the station, she found no one there and returned home. On the way, she met her husband. They fought again and he fell to the ground. She only discovered he was dead as she made her way to hospital

Police have arrested Nong, who admits to stabbing Suphamit.