Bank guard confesses to murder of durian farm owner in Rayong

A brutal murder case has been resolved with the confession of a bank security guard, who admitted to killing a 60 year old durian farm owner in a cold and calculated manner.

The body of Chaweevan Jaichuea, also known as Aunt Eiad, was discovered in a water pool within her durian farm in Rayong Province, with her hands tied behind her back and her head covered with a plastic bin and trousers.

In the wake of the murder, police brought in five of the victim’s children and two workers for questioning. All denied involvement, leading to an initial charge of drug use against a 36 year old suspect, Alongkot Jaichuea.

However, new evidence from CCTV footage revealed a suspicious vehicle, a bronze Ford pickup truck loaded with plastic boxes, which matched the description of the vehicle owned by 55 year old Charoen Ngoiphutorn, a security guard for a bank in Chanthaburi Province. Charoen was known to have close ties with the victim, frequently providing her transportation.

A police task force led by Deputy Commissioner Police Major General Warawut Charoenchon, with officers from various investigative units, executed an arrest warrant issued by the Rayong Provincial Court at Charoen’s residence in Chanthaburi this morning at 1am. The arrest was conducted without resistance, and the suspect’s Ford pickup truck, a key piece of evidence from the CCTV footage, was seized.

During the interrogation, Charoen’s stoic demeanour gave way as he confessed to the murder. On the morning of March 5, he had gone to pick up Chaweevan to take her to the bank, a task he regularly performed. After asking to borrow money and being refused, Charoen strangled Chaweevan in a fit of rage, using a shoelace to bind her hands behind her back.

He then robbed her of a gold necklace and a mobile phone. Waiting until darkness to cover his tracks, Charoen disposed of the body in the farm’s water pool, returning home and to work as if nothing had happened, reported KhaoSod.

Charoen, a former soldier and previous drug offence convict, was intimately familiar with the victim, having worked as a security guard at the same bank branch in Chanthaburi where Chaweevan frequented. The investigation and subsequent confession have led to Charoen being taken into custody to face legal proceedings.