Hitman hit

NAKHON SRI THAMMARAT: A gunman-for-hire listed on the Police Region 8 most-wanted list was whacked, not by zealous cops or victims’ relatives out for revenge, but by his long-suffering companion as he lay asleep in bed. At 10 am on March 30, Chawang District Police Inspector Lt Col Sompong Prohmreuangchart received a report of a shooting at house number 134 in Village 2 of Tambon Jundee. Arriving at the single-story home with volunteer rescue workers, police found the body of 37-year-old Kanit Likachai lying under a mosquito net wearing only a pair of blue underpants. He was covered in a dried-up pool of his own blood. The cause of death was evident, two shots straight into his chest. From the state of the corpse, police estimated Kanit had been dead about 10 hours. Missing from the scene were: the murder weapon, a .357 revolver allegedly that of the victim; the victim’s live-in partner, identified as Sun Boonchoo, aged 27; and the couple’s two-year-old baby boy. Col Sompong told reporters that the neighbor who discovered the body said she heard sounds of an argument between Sun and a violently drunk Kanit about 2 am the night before. The yelling was followed by sounds that appeared to be that of a savage beating lasting over an hour. After that there was a period of silence, followed by two gunshots. A short while after the two blasts, Sun emerged from the house carrying the couple’s son. Her face bruised and swollen, she asked the neighbor for some pain-killers and then left, the neighbor said. None of the neighbors were brave enough to ask questions about what had transpired, police were told. The next morning, the same neighbor noticed the door to the couple’s home was ajar and the residence was unusually quiet. Looking inside, she saw the corpse of Kanit and reported the death to the police. Based on the evidence at hand, police think that Kanit arrived home drunk and took out his frustration on Sun before placing his .357 revolver on the side of couple’s bed and falling asleep. As he slept, Sun put the pistol to the center of his chest and fired twice, killing him instantly before leaving with the child. Col Sompong said that a subsequent check of the victim’s background revealed him to be one of the most-wanted gunmen for hire in the south of Thailand. In the latest development, Sun has contacted police and said she is prepared to turn herself in and face legal charges.