Family ties unravel in murder mystery: Thai trio nabbed for alleged Isaan killing, daughter smells foul play

Police arrested a Thai woman and her two children for the alleged murder of a Thai man in the Isaan province of Sisaket. The suspects accused the deceased of alcohol addiction and abusive behaviour but, in a remarkable twist, the deceased’s biological daughter believes the suspects murdered her father for his money and property.

The dead body of the 48 year old Thai man, Sathaporn Jinkhampanao, was discovered in a canal in the Sam sub-district of Mueang district in the Sisaket province on December 9. Stab wounds to his neck and chest suggest that Sathaporn was murdered.

Mueang Sisaket Police Station officers summoned the deceased’s family members for questioning including his 51 year old wife Phuricha Promsopha, his 25 year old stepdaughter Pettim Wangkun, and his 21 year old stepson Thanachok Panikorn.

The family’s suspicious behaviour prompted officers to conduct a more thorough investigation at their residence. Inside the house, officers discovered a bed bearing bloodstains, and they also observed dense red bloodstains on both a Honda Click motorcycle and a Nissan Almera sedan.

Upon further questioning, Phuricha eventually confessed to the murder of her husband with the assistance of her children. Alleging intolerable abuse by Sathaporn, Phuricha claimed that she reached a breaking point and, with her children’s help, decided to end his life.

According to Phuricha’s account, Sathaporn retired to bed around midnight on the day of the incident. Seizing the opportunity, her two children entered the bedroom, restraining Sathaporn while she fatally stabbed him. Subsequently, they moved the lifeless body to the car and disposed of it in a canal.

The 21 year old stepson, Thanachok, implicated his friend, 21 year old Peeraphat, asserting that he also assisted in the murder and sustained injuries during the confrontation with Phuricha. However, Peeraphat, being in the hospital, denied any involvement in the murder, asserting that he attempted to save Sathaporn rather than harm him.

Expressing strong suspicions, Sathaporn’s biological daughter, 22 year old Chonticha Parnnork, believes that Phuricha and her children murdered her father for his money and property. Chonticha explained that her father was always compliant with Phuricha’s wishes and refuted any claims of abuse against her.

Chonticha disclosed that her father had just received some inheritance, worth several million baht, from her grandmother, and this could be the motive for the three to commit murder.