THURSDAY, March 28, 2024
nationthailand

Grieving mother finds solace but no peace of mind in execution of teenage son’s killer

Grieving mother finds solace but no peace of mind in execution of teenage son’s killer

THE MOTHER of a teenager who was brutally murdered in 2012 says “justice has been done” with the execution of her son’s killer on Monday.

But the execution has not left grieving mother Yukol Sukmak at peace. 
“I have spent every single day in pain since losing my son,” Yukol said from her home in Trang province.
On July 17 six years ago, Thirasak (surname withheld at request of the Department of Corrections) stabbed Yukol’s 17-year-old son Danudej 24 times during a robbery at a public park. The attacker had quickly snatched Danudej’s cellphone but then continued stabbing him as he tried to run away.
Police said Thirasak had arrived at the scene with another man but acted alone in the stabbing. 
“Danudej’s girlfriend was there too and remembered the attacker’s face,” said Muang Trang deputy superintendent Pol Lt Colonel Prasert Songsaeng. “We arrested Thirasak the day after the stabbing and found his knife.” 
Prasert said forensic tests tied Thirasak to the attack while Danudej’s girlfriend had picked him out from a police line-up. 
“Despite solid evidence, Thirasak pleaded innocent throughout the trial. So there is no grounds for leniency. Three courts have found him guilty and issued the death penalty,” Prasert said. 
Danudej’s mother is glad the case ended the way it did.
“Thank you for delivering justice,” Yukol said upon hearing that Thirasak had been executed by lethal injection at Bang Kwang Prison in Nonthaburi. He became only the seventh convict put to death in Thailand since 2003, when the execution method was changed from firing squad to lethal injection. 
The mother also hopes that Thirasak’s accomplice will eventually be brought to justice. Police have so far been unable to identify the accomplice. 
She said that Danudej was an outstanding athlete and a dutiful son who helped the family tap rubber latex every morning before going to school. 
“He always helped us, his parents, with whatever he could do. And suddenly, he was gone. Without him, every day is painful. I keep living only because I still have other people in my life I must care for,” Yukol said.

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