Love-sick monk shoots foreigner’s wife then kills himself in Thailand
A love-sick monk disrobed to go in search of a Norwegian man’s wife but when she rejected him he shot her before turning the gun on himself in a grisly murder–suicide attempt in southern Thailand.
Officers in Nakhon Si Thammarat were called to a luxury two-storey home in Village 12, Klai Subdistrict, at around 4am, today, April 24, after neighbours reported gunshots ringing out in the early hours.
Police Colonel Thawatchai Sangkhamitkon, Superintendent of Thasala Police Station, led the investigative team. Inside the plush property, officers found shattered glass, a trail of blood, and the tragic aftermath of what appeared to be a love affair gone fatally wrong.
Kratae, the Thai wife of a Norwegian man, was discovered with a bullet wound to her chest and a graze to the forehead, believed to be from a .357 revolver. The 39 year old woman was rushed to Thasala Hospital by rescue workers and remains in critical condition.
Upstairs, the body of 43 year old Apinan, also known as Non, was found face-down on a blood-soaked bed. Once a monk at a temple in Plian, Sichon district, he had only recently left the monkhood. Wearing jeans and a black T-shirt, he had a fatal gunshot wound to the left temple.
A .357 revolver lay nearby with two rounds discharged. Officers found another seven bullets stuffed in his jeans pocket, said Police Colonel Thawatchai.
“Initial evidence points to a love affair as the motive. But we will wait for full forensic results before drawing final conclusions.”
According to Kratae’s brother, she and her Norwegian husband had been married for ten years, living between Thailand and Norway. They had recently returned to Thailand together, but her husband had flown back to Norway alone, with Kratae due to follow soon.
That plan was shattered when Apinan, who had previously been ordained in the same temple where Kratae once served as a nun, broke into her house in the dead of night. Amarin TV reported that he reportedly smashed through a glass window with his gun and confronted her on the second floor.
What happened next was a terrifying flash of violence. During an argument, Apinan shot her in the chest, while another bullet grazed her face. He then retreated to the bed and turned the gun on himself.
Relatives said they were unaware of any romantic relationship between the pair. However, police revealed that Apinan had developed a fixation on Kratae during their time in the temple. After she left the religious life, he followed suit and began trying to contact her but she refused to engage.
Officers believe the tragic shooting may have been the final act of a one-sided obsession.
As investigators comb through the evidence, locals are left stunned by the deadly fallout of a forbidden love that spiralled into violence, turning a peaceful home into a crime scene soaked in heartbreak.
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