November 21st 2024.
In a recent ruling that has captured the attention of the nation, a woman in Thailand has been sentenced to death by a court for the murder of at least twelve people. This marks the first decision in a highly-publicized serial killing case that has been making headlines.
According to the court's judgment this week, Sararat Rangsiwuthaporn was found guilty of killing her friend last year by lacing her food with cyanide. She then proceeded to steal property worth over $4,400 from the victim. The judge, during the three-hour long hearing, revealed that Sararat was a gambling addict who resorted to murder and robbery in order to pay off her debts. This information was reported by government-owned broadcaster NBT Connext.
The case gained widespread attention due to Sararat's connection to her ex-husband, a former senior police officer, as well as her pregnancy at the time of her arrest in May last year. The suspicious death of Siriporn Khanwong, which sparked a large-scale investigation into a series of unsolved cyanide poisonings, ultimately led to Sararat's arrest. CCTV footage showed the two women together before Siriporn's sudden collapse and death, as reported by police to CNN.
Further investigations revealed that traces of cyanide were present in Siriporn's system, which was a common factor among other victims who had been in contact with Sararat before their deaths. In the aftermath of her arrest, another woman came forward accusing Sararat of poisoning her years ago. However, she had been too afraid to speak up due to Sararat's ties to her ex-husband, who held the rank of police Lieutenant Colonel.
During her trial, Sararat chose not to testify. She was convicted of charges including premeditated murder, robbery causing death, and spiking food or other consumables resulting in death. In addition to the death penalty, she was also ordered to compensate for the unrecovered stolen items. When the sentence was read out, Siriporn's family members were seen crying and embracing each other, as reported by NBT Connext. Sararat, on the other hand, did not make eye contact with the plaintiff's side of the court, but instead smiled and chatted with her lawyer.
This week also saw the sentencing of Sararat's lawyer and her ex-husband. According to the court's summary, following Siriporn's death, Thanicha Eksuwanwat, the killer's lawyer, had urged Witoon Rangsiwuthaporn, her ex-husband, to either destroy or conceal any evidence linking Sararat to the crime. Witoon, a former police officer, was sentenced to one year and four months in prison, while Thanicha received a two-year sentence. Both have been granted bail by the court pending their appeals.
In a statement to CNN, Thanicha said that Sararat denies all accusations and plans to appeal the conviction. She firmly believes in her client's innocence and is dissatisfied with the court's decision. Meanwhile, the national police agency is preparing to submit additional murder cases against Sararat to the prosecutor next week, as reported by NBT Connext.
In 2018, Thailand ended a de facto moratorium on the use of the death penalty by executing a man through lethal injection, the first execution since 2009. While there have been no executions since then, the death sentence has been handed down in several cases, including the well-known murders of two British backpackers in 2019.
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