Accused serial poisoner hangs himself
A man accused of fatally poisoning four people committed suicide at a police station in Prachuap Khiri Khan's Muang district yesterday morning.
Nirut “Jamlong” Sornkhamharn, 43, hanged himself in a bathroom at dawn. A policeman rushed to prevent him but was too late.
The suspect was arrested on Monday. Police say he had confessed to hiring the transportation services of pickup owners and then offering pesticidemixed drinks to his victims during the trips.
Of his nine victims, four died and two remain unaccounted for. Three others have survived.
Nirut told police he stole his victims’ belongings and vehicles. The pickups had been sold to a man known as Pairat in Songkhla’s Hat Yai district for Bt50,000 each.
Following his arrest, Nirut attempted to hang himself at the Crime Suppression Bureau, but the old electric wire he used snapped and he survived.
On Tuesday, he was transferred to the Khlong Wan Police Station where local investigators wanted to interrogate him over the death of one of his victims that happened in the station’s jurisdiction.
Police said the questioning at the station lasted for about two hours during which Nirut showed signs of stress. He was held in solitary detention due to his serious offences.
A junior policeman was assigned to keep watch on him. However, Nirut went into the bathroom, locked the door and hanged himself with his Tshirt. The policeman could not stop him in time because of the locked door.
“He used a key to get inside – but [by then] it was too late,” the station’s superintendent, LtColonel Noppadon Thuwangkhawat, said.
In a related development, police in Songkhla arrested Pairat Chawaha, 48. A pickup belonging to one of Nirut’s dead victims was found in his possession.
Pairat denied any wrongdoing. He claimed he had bought the vehicles from Nirut because he thought they belonged to Nirut’s relatives.
Provincial Police Region 9 deputy commissioner MajGeneral Prasert Jansawang said Pairat had been charged with possessing stolen vehicles.
“An investigation is ongoing to nail down his accomplices. We believe he did not do all this alone,” Prasert said.
