Chumphon man accused of murdering bride-to-be

Police say Ronnachai Panchat, 26, following hours of interrogation and upon being shown incriminating evidence, confessed to impulsively and drunkenly killing dentist Nonthiya Kruachaturas, 25, whom he was to marry in five days.
He claimed Nonthiya had recently caught him cheating on her with one of his co-workers, leading to a series of quarrels.
Ronnachai allegedly said he was carrying a gun when he went to see Nonthiya at 1am on Tuesday in hopes of resolving the issue. He found her already asleep, so he entered via a window and shot her dead in the bedroom, then returned to his home in Lang Suan district.
Police don’t believe he acted impulsively, since he brought a gun and a ski mask, switched off lights and turned aside an exterior CCTV camera that was aimed at Nonthiya’s residence.
Other cameras captured video of a man of his height looking drunk and walking around inside the hospital compound for 20 minutes before entering the residence.
While an arrest warrant for Ronnachai is sought on a charge of premeditated murder, police are looking for Ronnachai’s office lover (who has not been named) because she reportedly drove him to and away from the scene.
Nonthiya was found with a gunshot wound to the chest at 10am after she failed to show up for work. The bedroom had been ransacked.
Neighbours recalled hearing a loud noise, like a gunshot or an explosion, at around 1.30am, but didn’t investigate, assuming it was a truck tyre exploding on nearby Phetchkasem Highway.
Police exploring several motives, including personal conflict, summoned Ronnachai for questioning on Tuesday afternoon while his house was searched, turning up a shotgun, ski mask and khaki clothing resembling the attire of the man seen on CCTV.
Confronted with the evidence, Ronnachai allegedly confessed. Police planned to walk him through a crime re-enactment at the scene on Wednesday.