Thai woman confesses to burning father alive over money dispute
A Thai woman confessed to burning her father to death in a hut in the Isaan province of Kalasin after he refused to give her money.
The 73 year old man, Boonliang Jannsri, was burned to death in a hut in the Khong Chai district of Kalasin. His body was discovered on January 31, with clear signs of foul play, as his arms and neck were bound with stainless steel wire.
Boonliang’s daughter, 26 year old Boontiwa “Pui” Jannsri, was the prime suspect as she was the last person seen with him before the fire. CCTV footage captured Pui leaving the hut moments before the blaze broke out.
Pui initially denied involvement, stating that she had nothing to gain from killing her father, who had only 10,000 baht in cash, an amount she claimed did not interest her. She even remarked that if she truly needed money, she would have been better off killing her husband, who had life insurance worth a million baht.
Despite her claims, Pui reportedly withdrew 60,000 baht from her father’s bank account following his death.
Daughter’s confession
Eyewitness accounts further raised suspicions. Witnesses told police and reporters that Pui had exited the burning hut and warned them:
“Don’t go there if you don’t want to become a suspect in this case.”
Her words confused the witnesses, who had been preparing to help extinguish the fire. This information prompted police to intensify their questioning of Pui on February 5.
Unconvinced by her initial statements, officers interrogated her for over 30 hours before she finally confessed to the murder.
Pui admitted that she had gone to the hut to ask her father for money but he refused. She then asked him to borrow money from her stepbrother but Boonliang continued to refuse her request.
Pui claimed she was drunk during the argument and, in a fit of rage, pushed her father to the ground before strangling him with an electric wire. She then tied him up with stainless steel wire and set fire to the hut.
Pui faces three charges including:
- Section 289 of the Criminal Law: intentionally killing a parent which results in the death penalty.
- Section 199 of the Criminal Law: secretly burying, concealing, moving, or destroying a corpse or parts of a corpse. The penalty is imprisonment of up to one year, a fine of up to 2,000 baht, or both.
- Section 221 and 224 of the Criminal Law: setting fire to another person’s property leading to death. The punishment is the death penalty or life imprisonment.
The police have not closed the case, revealing they would continue to investigate whether or not Pui’s husband was involved in the murder.
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