Three Issan natives have been arrested for allegedly killing and robbing a 60-year-old shop owner in Takientia.
Ruthairath Pom-ud, 28, of Udon Thani and Weerayut Jongharn, 28, of Khon Kaen, were brought to a police news conference April 3 after being charged with robbery and car theft. A third suspect, Supaporn Sritha, 31, was arrested in Khon Kaen on Monday.
Police said that Weerayut and Ruthairath confessed to stealing a Toyota Yaris belonging to Aphichana Nopamart, but denied any role in killing the woman. They told police that Supapron, who is Weerayut’s girlfriend, organized the crime and killed the elderly woman by wrapping her face in a blanket and bludgeoning her to death March 21.
Ruthairath Pom-ud and Weerayut Jongharn were brought to the scene of the crime when they showed police where the car they stole was parked.
Aphichana’s decomposing body was found lying on a bed in her laundry shop across from Itoh Seiko (Thailand) Co. March 24.
Neighbors said they last saw the women when she closed her shop on March 20. She was found after neighbors smelled her decomposing body.
Police recovered footage from two security cameras and put out a bulletin for the vehicle in hopes of tracking down the killers.
Weerayut and Ruthairath were captured after they allegedly pawned the Toyota for 60,000 baht in Khon Kaen. Supaporn was also arrested in Khon Kaen. She confessed to killing the woman with a hammer, and told police she acted alone.
Pol. Col. Thrairong Piewpan, deputy superintendent of Chonburi Police, said Weerayut and Supaporn had a history of robbing their employers and Ruthairath had a history of stealing motorbikes in the Khon Kaen area.
The suspects were taken to the scene of the murder on 2 separate occasions to re-enact the crime, but an angry mob of neighbors stopped the media sideshow with police rushing the suspects away for their own safety.
