Thai woman seeks justice after husband’s murder ruled accident

A Thai woman in Chon Buri is seeking justice for her husband who she claimed was murdered last month despite the police concluding the case as a fatal accident.

The 28 year old water vending machine technician, Nattaphon Chantaphum, died on August 24 following a suspicious incident on the night of August 23 when a female customer hired him to repair a water vending machine.

Three people present at the scene told officers from Nong Prue Police Station that Nattaphon attempted to steal money from the vending machine. He was caught and attempted to escape in a pickup truck driven by his friend.

The three men explained that they dragged Nattaphon out of the pickup, causing him to fall and hit his head on the concrete road below, ultimately leading to his death. These three men were charged with attempted murder and were later granted bail.

Police concluded that Nattaphon died in a fatal car accident after committing the vending machine theft and engaging in a physical altercation with the machine’s owners.

The deceased’s wife, Chutikarn, does not believe the suspects’ account. She is confident that her husband did not commit the theft and believes that the three suspects fatally assaulted Nattaphon. Chutikarn has decided to seek justice from the Crime Suppression Division (CSD) in Bangkok after local police ignored the case.

Chutikarn visited the CSD office yesterday, September 10, to submit a complaint along with all the evidence she had. She also gave interviews to several news agencies about the incident.

Key witness

Chutikarn explained that Nattaphon had previously worked as a technician for a man who she claimed was powerful in the area. The man owned many water vending machines in Chon Buri. Nattaphon later quit and started his own water vending machine company.

Chutikarn believes that Nattaphon’s former employer was displeased with his new business venture and hired the three suspects to kill Nattaphon. She added that she has CCTV footage and a voice recording file of the suspects reporting the successful operation to someone on the phone after Nattaphon’s death.

Chutikarn brought her husband’s friend, named A, with her that day. She stated that this friend had gone to the crime scene with Nattaphon and confirmed that he had indeed been fatally assaulted.

A told the media that a female customer had called him and Nattaphon to repair the vending machine outside her home. He believes that this woman tricked Nattaphon into meeting the attackers, as the suspects approached and attacked him immediately after their arrival.

A admitted that he was scared and did not dare to help Nattaphon, so he drove the pickup away from the scene. Nattaphon did not try to get into the pickup as the suspects claimed. The last thing A saw before leaving was Nattaphon lying on the ground.

Chutikarn added that one of the suspects contacted her brother, taunting him, and telling him to claim the insurance compensation.

“He [Nattaphon] is already dead. There’s nothing to be done about a dead man. Just admit that he fell from the pickup and died, so you can claim compensation from the car insurance company.”

CSD officers questioned Chutikarn and A about the case in detail and planned to follow up with Nong Prue Police Station.