Thai woman confesses to killing husband with her son’s help
The body of a Thai man abandoned by the roadside in a forest in Chon Buri was not the result of a car accident or theft, he was murdered by his wife and her son allegedly over physical abuse and a financial issue.
A Thai man and his colleagues stumbled upon the lifeless body of a man while working in the forest along Highway 331 on Tuesday, March 4. Officers from Huay Yai Police Station found an ID card in the man’s backpack and identified him as 52 year old Watchara Nok-ngam.
Initially, officers suspected Watchara of being an electricity wire thief who died during the crime. They also considered the possibility that he was killed in an accident and abandoned there, as a car crash recently occurred in the area.
A note with the phone numbers of his wife and daughter was also found in the bag, prompting police to contact them for further information.
Officers began to suspect his wife, 46 year old Rattikarn Nok-ngam, when she showed no shock after learning of her husband’s death. Channel 3 reported that Rattikarn’s only response to the police was, “Oh, really.”
Rattikarn was summoned for questioning at a police station several times until she confessed yesterday, March 6. During a 10-hour interrogation, she revealed that she had murdered her husband with the help of her son, 30 year old Worrayuth Keepbua. Worrayuth is Rattikarn’s son from her previous marriage.
Alleged abuse
Rattikarn stated that she and Worrayuth picked Watchara up in a Toyota Vigo pickup from his workplace on March 1. The victim had just resigned from his job as a security guard on the day.
Rattikarn invited Watchara to visit Worrayuth’s home in the central province of Chantaburi, and the victim agreed. Rattikarn was the driver, Watchara sat in the passenger seat, and Worrayuth was in the back.
During the trip, Worrayuth strangled his stepfather with a hose until Watchara died. They then drove to Rattikarn’s home in Rayong, moved Watchara’s body to the back seat, and covered him with a blanket.
Rattikarn and her son rested until midnight before transporting the lifeless body to the roadside forest in Chon Buri. They went about their lives as usual until the body was discovered.
Rattikarn claimed that she murdered her husband because of his abusive behaviour towards her. She also mentioned a financial issue, stating that Watchara had planned to sell his plots of land for 1.1 million baht and had promised to share 300,000 baht with her.
However, Watchara could not sell the land because it was jointly owned by his family members. This angered Rattikarn, and she decided to take his life.
Love ends tragically
Worrayuth was later arrested following Rattikarn’s confession. He gave a similar account to that of his mother, stating that he murdered his stepfather because of the repeated physical abuse his mother suffered.
Watchara’s older sister, 54 year old Sudjai Somsak, told ThaiRath that she was certain Rattikarn was the murderer, as her brother’s body was found. Sudjai’s confidence in her suspicion was furthered by Rattikarn’s suspicious behaviour.
Sudjai added that Watchara had loved Rattikarn dearly and gave her all the money he earned. She and other relatives had urged Watchara to end his relationship with Rattikarn, but he ignored their advice.
The mother and son now face three charges including:
- Section 289(4) of the Criminal Law: murder another person with premeditation. The punishment is 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 366/3 of the Criminal Law: damaging, moving, or depreciating a dead body of another person. The punishment is imprisonment of up to three years, a fine of up to 60,000 baht, or both.
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