Thai court sentences woman accused of cyanide serial killings to death

A Thai court has sentenced a woman accused of fatally poisoning at least a dozen people to death, the first ruling in a serial killing case that has gripped the nation.

Sararat Rangsiwuthaporn killed his girlfriend last year by dousing the victim’s food with cyanide, then stole more than $4,400 worth of her property, according to a summary of the Bangkok court ruling on Wednesday.

The gambling addict turned to murder and robbery to pay off his debts, the judge said during the three-hour hearing, government broadcaster NBT Connext reported.

National attention to the case has been fueled by Sararat’s links to her ex-husband – a former senior police officer – and her pregnancy when she was arrested last May in connection with the suspicious death of Siriporn Khanwong, which sparked a broad survey in a wave. of other unresolved cyanide poisonings.

The two women were seen together on CCTV footage before Siriporn passed out and died, police previously told CNN.

Siriporn’s autopsy found traces of cyanide in her system, which a police investigation later revealed was a common factor among victims who ate or drank with Sararat before their deaths, police told CNN last year.

Following Sararat’s arrest, a woman came forward to accuse her of poisoning her years ago. The accuser said she was resuscitated in hospital following the 2020 incident, but was too afraid to speak because of Saratat’s relationship with her ex-husband, who held the rank of police lieutenant colonel.

Sararat did not testify at her trial. The court convicted her of charges including premeditated murder, robbery causing death and pushing with food or other consumables resulting in death. In addition to the death sentence, she was also ordered to pay restitution for the unrecovered stolen items.

Siriporn’s family cried and hugged when the sentence was read, NBT Connext reported. Sararat did not make eye contact with the plaintiff’s side in court, although she smiled and chatted with her lawyer during the hearing.

Sararat’s lawyer and her ex-husband were also sentenced on Wednesday.

After Siriporn’s murder, the killer’s lawyer, Thanicha Eksuwanwat, urged her ex-husband, Witoon Rangsiwuthaporn, to destroy or hide evidence linking her to the murder, according to the summary of the judgment.

Witoon, a former police officer, was sentenced to one year and four months in prison, according to the summary. Thanicha, the lawyer, was sentenced to two years in prison.

Thanicha and Witoon were both granted bail by the court pending their appeals.

Thanicha told CNN on Thursday that Saratat denies the charges against her and plans to appeal her conviction. “My client is innocent… She is not happy with the court’s verdict,” Thanicha said.

The national police agency will submit additional murder charges against Sararat to the prosecutor next week, NBT Connext reported.

Thailand lifted a de facto moratorium on the death penalty in 2018, executing a man by lethal injection in the country’s first execution since August 2009, according to rights groups.

No executions have taken place since then, but courts have handed down the death penalty in several cases, including the high level crimes of two British backpackers in 2019.

This story has been updated with additional information.

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