Man confesses to killing ex-wife with iron cord in Pathum Thani

A Thai man confessed to killing his ex-wife with an iron cord in a fit of rage, following a dispute over financial matters. He then fled to Nakhon Sawan after committing the crime in their rented room in Pathum Thani.

Police officers, including Kiattisak Mitprasat from Khlong Luang Police Station, along with several other investigators, apprehended 62 year old Tanan from Samut Songkhram. He was arrested in Takli, Nakhon Sawan, after killing 53 year old Darunee and hiding her body in a room in Khlong Luang, Pathum Thani.

Tanan admitted to having been in a relationship with Darunee for seven months, during which he invested in her business ventures, hoping for profitable returns which never materialised. He recounted that a neighbour called to say she needed to visit her ill parents, taking more items than necessary, including things Tanan had given her. When he could not reach the neighbour, he discovered that her real name was Darunee and that she had not been looking after her mother as claimed. Even when Darunee called, asking to borrow 5,000 baht, he was unsure of her whereabouts.

Tanan reported the theft to the police in Amphawa without much expectation, his only goal being to find Darunee. On September 15, Tanan and a police officer arranged to meet at Amphawa Police Station to withdraw the complaint, but the officer in charge had gone to further study. Darunee arrived in a hired car and asked the driver to wait at a nearby temple. Unaware that Tanan would join her, she went to the temple’s restroom with her phone.

“I saw her talking on the phone, and the driver received a call showing her picture,” Tanan explained, adding that he suspected infidelity but decided not to confront her at that moment.

Suspicions of infidelity

Tanan then described offering Darunee a fake gold necklace to test her intentions. When they returned to their room on September 15, he won the lottery and gave her 10,000 baht, which they spent together. Despite his suspicions of her seeing other men, he did not confront her. On September 18, after a health check-up, he requested a promise from Darunee to avoid relationships with other men and to contact him if she faced any problems. She refused to commit, which enraged him.

“As she lay face down, I saw the iron cord and used it to strangle her.”

After ensuring she was dead, Tanan fled to Ratchaburi and then drove to Nakhon Sawan, planning to continue to Chiang Mai.

Police have charged Tanan with premeditated murder, reported KhaoSod.