A seafood restaurant owner who repeatedly raped a 12-year-old employee was stabbed to death by the girl during another attack, Najomtien police say.
The body of Jeerawat Songsawang, 53, was found near the restroom of his Alex & Moo restaurant on Khlong Nammao Beach at Najomtien Soi 18 Dec. 8. He had a single, fatal stab wound to the chest from a knife recovered at the scene.
Wife Nantawan Songsawang, 51, admitted she moved the body before police arrived but denied she had seen or heard the killing. Employees Teerawat Sudpumkaew, 35, was drunk but said he wasn’t in the restaurant when the killing happened. The 12-year-old girl also denied knowledge of what happened.
However, police said they quickly determined that Jeerawat had been sexually abusing the young girl, repeatedly molesting her after getting drunk in the restaurant while his wife slept in the next room. Each time he threatened the girl not to tell anyone, police said.
Around 1 a.m. Dec. 8, Jeerawat apparently tried to assault the girl again, but she was armed with a vegetable peeler and stabbed him.
Nantawan, obviously aware of the nefarious deeds of her husband, had Teerawat help her move the body to the back of the restaurant to make it look like a break-in, police said.
The girl showed investigators where she hid the knife.
Despite being victimized, the 12-year-old was charged with assault leading to death.
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