Bangkok: The Criminal Court acquitted "Am Cyanide" in a case alleging she poisoned a friend to pay off a debt, giving her the benefit of the doubt due to insufficient evidence to definitively prove her involvement. This marks the third acquittal in 15 cases.
According to Thai News Agency, the Criminal Court has scheduled a hearing to deliver its verdict in the case where the public prosecutor is the plaintiff and Ms. Sararat, or "Am," is the defendant, charged with putting cyanide, a poisonous substance, in the food of Ms. Monthathip, or "Sai," resulting in her death in a luxury condominium in the Thonglor area, in order to settle a debt. The defendant pleaded not guilty.
After considering the testimonies and evidence presented by both sides, the court found the following facts: the defendant and the deceased were close friends, participating in the same informal lending group, and the defendant had borrowed a sum of money from the deceased. Furthermore, it was established that the defendant was addicted to online gambling and lost over 30 million baht, while the deceased was wealthy, resided in Canada, and owned a commercial building in Sam Phran District, Nakhon Pathom Province, which was rented out to the defendant for management.
On the day of the incident, Ms. Monthathip returned from Canada. The defendant and other friends picked her up at the airport. En route, they stopped for a meal of rice porridge before checking into a condominium. Ms. Monthathip later died. The autopsy revealed that she died from heart failure, or possibly from a pre-existing condition, but it was not confirmed that she died from cyanide poisoning.
The evidence presented by the prosecution leaves several reasonable doubts. A conviction must be based primarily on the circumstances of the case and the evidence presented. In this case, there was no evidence presented by the prosecution to confirm that the defendant committed the crime. Therefore, the benefit of the doubt must be given to the defendant, and the case is dismissed.
Today, the court summoned "Am" from the Central Women's Correctional Institution to hear the verdict. Previously, the Criminal Court had already ruled on five cases against Am Cyanide, bringing the total to six cases today. She was sentenced to death in one case, life imprisonment in two cases, and acquitted in two cases. Adding today's acquittal brings the total to three acquittals out of 15 charges filed by the prosecutor, comprising 14 charges of murder and one charge of attempted murder.
Thanynicha Eksuwanrat, the defendant's lawyer, or "Lawyer Patch," revealed that the court acquitted the defendant due to insufficient evidence. The court ruled that the defendant possessed cyanide in 2022, while the deceased died in 2015, thus giving the defendant the benefit of the doubt. Nine other cases are still under consideration by the court. The court is scheduled to deliver its verdict on September 25th in the case concerning the death of Chantharat, or "Jum."