Thai man kills wife’s relative over family feud, injures niece

A 28 year old Thai man identified as Top turned himself into the authorities after he fatally stabbed a 51 year old relative of his wife, and injured his 18 year old niece in an alleged act of revenge. He claimed to be motivated by the victims’ disrespectful behaviour towards his family and lack of financial assistance.

The incident took place yesterday, and Top thereafter went into hiding at his hometown in the Den Chai district in the northern Phrae province, running up onto a hill to evade capture. Today, Phrae City police received a report from Top’s relatives, informing them of his intention to surrender at the local police station. Upon receiving the confession, officers waited for Top before handing him over to investigators for preliminary interrogation.

In the early hours of the next day, numerous journalists gathered at the station to report on the case, though authorities prohibited them from covering the investigation and asked them to wait outside. The officers expedited their interrogation to transfer Top into the custody of the court to ascertain his security.

During his time in custody, Top claimed his attack on the female relative was unintentional and had not involved theft. He stated he entered the home to confront his wife over their family issues, including suspicions that she was involved with someone else. Unable to locate his partner, Top opted to visit the houses of her relatives and stumbled upon the one with lights turned on, prompting him to investigate.

While he conceded to the offences of murder and attempted murder, Top continued to deny violating gun regulations. When questioned by reporters on whether he would apologise to the family of his victim, Top remained silent, providing no further response.

As his story gains traction, the motives and consequences of his actions will continue to unfold in the coming days.