Bangkok: The court acquitted "Am Cyanide" in her fifth case, clearing her of charges for the murder of "Pee Noi," a vegetable vendor, due to insufficient evidence to link her to the crime.
According to Thai News Agency, the court has scheduled a hearing for the verdict in the fifth "Am Cyanide" case, in which the Public Prosecutor's Office, Criminal Division 10, is the plaintiff and Ms. Sararat Rangsiwuttaporn, or "Am Cyanide," 39 years old, is the defendant, charged with premeditated murder. The prosecution alleged that the defendant intentionally put cyanide in food with the intent to kill Mrs. Roscharin, or "Pee Noi," a vegetable vendor, in order to settle a 60,000 baht debt and force the deceased's husband to repay a car loan at a higher value than what was borrowed. The defendant mixed cyanide into a vegetable salad, which the deceased consumed, subsequently suffered a seizure, and died at the hospital. The defendant pleaded not guilty.
The court, having considered the evidence presented, found that around March 2023, the deceased's husband learned of several deaths from cyanide poisoning and suspected that the defendant might be involved in his wife's death, which occurred in August 2022. He therefore filed a police report against the defendant, alleging intentional murder by adulterating a vegetable salad with cyanide, causing it to be absorbed into the bloodstream and leading to her death. The prosecution's witness, a doctor who treated the deceased, testified that the deceased's blood had a high level of acidity due to a severe infection or poisoning. However, he could not confirm cyanide poisoning and could not determine whether the poison was introduced into the body by the deceased themselves or by what method. Therefore, the prosecution's evidence lacks weight.
The witness, an employee of the deceased, stated that they saw the defendant bringing a vegetable salad to the deceased. They testified that they remembered the defendant's car, but they could not answer the defense attorney's cross-examination questions about the make and model of the defendant's vehicle. Therefore, their testimony lacks sufficient weight to conclude that the defendant was the one who brought the salad to the deceased. Regarding the motive for the murder, which the prosecution claimed was a debt of 60,000 baht, the facts show that the deceased had pawned her car with the defendant for 100,000 baht and had already paid 50,000 baht to the defendant. After her death, the defendant claimed to the deceased's husband that he owed 600,000 baht for the car pawn, but this was negotiated down to 300,000 baht. The husband agreed to pay the full 300,000 baht and received the car back. Therefore, this cannot be considered a motive for the crime. The prosecution's evidence and witnesses do not link the de fendant to the crime as initially presumed. Thus, the court dismisses the case.
Reporters say that the Criminal Court has previously convicted Am Cyanide in a total of four murder cases. In the first case, the court sentenced the perpetrator to death for poisoning and killing Ms. Siriporn or Koy Khanwong at a pier in Ban Pong District, Ratchaburi Province. The second case involved the poisoning and murder of Police Lieutenant Colonel Nipa Saenchon, or Inspector Pu. The court sentenced her to death, but due to her helpful testimony, the sentence was reduced to life imprisonment. The third case, the poisoning and murder of Ms. Nittaya Kaewbuppha, a female engineer in Nakhon Pathom province, was acquitted by the court due to insufficient evidence to prove that the defendant possessed cyanide or had intent to steal. Case number 4 involved the poisoning murder of Police Lieutenant Sukanda Wimolmal, or Captain Nui, former deputy financial inspector of Phu Phaman Police Station, Khon Kaen Province. The suspect put poison in her drink, causing her death. The court sentenced her to death, but red uced the sentence by one-third, resulting in a life sentence for the suspect.
Yesterday, the Criminal Court ruled on the fifth case involving cyanide, acquitting the defendants. Prior to this, the court had acquitted one case, sentenced one to death, and sentenced two to life imprisonment.