Nakhon Si Thammarat gangster arrested over murder of wife’s lover

Police in the southern Thai province of Nakhon Si Thammarat have arrested a 32 year old local gangster and drug dealer for the murder of a 41 year old criminal associate last Tuesday. The incident took place in the evening, on the side of the road in the Klai sub-district of Tha Sala district.

They identified the suspect as Sunathorn Saenphakdi, aka ‘Ong Na Pleng,’ and the victim as Suthat Watthana, dubbed ‘Tann Song’ by many who knew him. Police explained that the motive for the shooting was a suspected affair between Sunathhorn’s wife and Watthana while Sunathorn was in prison on firearms charges.

Police believe that, on his release, Sunathorn discovered the affair and decided to seek revenge. They report that both men have been linked to the criminal underworld, including drugs, guns and other crimes, for some time, and often had disagreements in the past.

It’s believed that Sunathorn invited the older man to meet at a place called Na Pleng village, where he confronted him with his suspicions about his wife.

However, as Watthana denied the claims, the young man produced a sawn-off shotgun from his jacket and shot him in the chest. The shot, fired at point-blank range, killed the older man instantly and and left him with 9 puncture wounds. Sunathorn then fled on a blue Honda Wave motorbike.

Police conducted a reenactment of the murder at the scene of the crime, but kept the suspect at a distance from close relatives of the victim. Sunathorn’s relations were also present including his 65 year old mother. He told police that on Tuesday evening, he fled to a relative’s house in Surat Thani and buried the murder weapon on a plot of land.

He later fled back to Nakhon Si Thammarat where he stayed for 2 nights at separate locations with different relatives, before being apprehended by police at the last location. Police say Sunathorn has made a full confession to the murder and they are now finalising their case against him.

SOURCE: Thai Examiner