Thai man kills former mother-in-law over financial help refusal
Police yesterday arrested a Thai man for the murder of his former mother-in-law at her home in the central province of Phetchaburi.
The 69 year old woman, Pranee Wadprawate, was found lifeless in her home in Phetchaburi province at around 5am on October 17. She was only wearing underwear, with her sarong found near her body. A computer, gun, camera, and watch were reported missing from the house.
Pranee’s husband, Sanoh, was the first to discover her body. He initially believed his wife died due to her congenital health issues and held a funeral. However, Pranee’s daughter later discovered the missing valuables and a mysterious footprint on the second floor, prompting an autopsy on Pranee’s body.
Officers from Cha-am Police Station conducted an investigation and eventually arrested the murderer, 41 year old Wirat, yesterday, October 23, on a roadside in the central province of Ratchaburi. Wirat was the ex-husband of one of Pranee’s daughters.
According to a report by Channel 8, Wirat drove his black pickup truck into the community but chose to walk to Pranee’s house to avoid the area’s security cameras. He took an alternative route, as the usual road had numerous CCTV cameras.
Wirat then approached Pranee, who was alone in the house and strangled her to death. He stole the valuables and fled on Pranee’s bicycle, abandoning it 200 metres away from her house, where it was later found by family members.
After the discovery of the bicycle, police reviewed more security camera footage and found the suspicious man using the bicycle. With the footage, they managed to identify the man as Wirat.
Wirat confessed that he initially intended to borrow money from his former mother-in-law after learning that she recently sold some plots of land and received a substantial amount of money. However, when Pranee refused to offer financial assistance, he resorted to killing her.
KhaoSod reported that Wirat has an extensive criminal history, having been arrested six times between 2010 and 2023, mostly for fraud and theft-related offences.
