Phang Nga triple homicide suspect arrested

PHUKET: A man turned himself in yesterday for the murder of his in-laws and estranged wife in Phang Nga, north of Phuket, on October 20.

Pornchai Pitak, 28, who fled into the jungle after the shooting, claims that a foot in his face was the catalyst for the slayings (story here).

“I went to their house to see my one-month-old daughter, but they would not let me come in. They pushed me away and swore at me like I was an animal,” Mr Pornchai told Kura Buri Police Acting Superintendent Winai Kongkaew.

“I ‘wai’ to them and begged them for forgiveness. I bent down to the floor and apologized to my mother-in-law, but she shoved her foot in my face.

“I lost control, grabbed a gun out of my car and shot them all.”

Mr Pornchai did not elaborate on what he was asking forgiveness for at the time.

“I shot my mother-in-law, then my father-in-law and then my wife,” Mr Pornchai said.

Mr Pornchai fled and was retrieved by his relatives the next day.

“I couldn’t take the pressure, so I surrendered to police,” he said.

Mr Pornchai was charged with murder, possession of an illegal firearm and corresponding ammunition, carrying an unlicenced firearm in public and for the possession of kratom leaves.

He has been denied bail.

“We have police guarding the suspect, as we are afraid that the victims’ relatives might attempt to attack him. The baby is being taken care of by a relative,” Col Winai said.

Mr Pornchai’s family will not face charges for harboring a fugitive, confirmed Col Winai, as they helped convince him to turn himself in to police.

— Kritsada Mueanhawong