Pest about town
A Sukhothai man killed a former childhood friend after he attacked his parents in a drug-fuelled rage.
Ratchada "Tong" Pradappetch, 31, shot his former mate, Mahatthana "Kik" Kloidetch, 29, five times with a .38 calibre handgun outside his home in Muang district.
Kik had just returned from an outing when Tong, who held a grudge after Kik attacked his parents, spied an opportunity to exact revenge and put his mind at rest.
News reports say Mr Tong parked his bicycle under a nearby tree and shot Kik as he approached his house. After killing him, Mr Tong fled to his parents' place, where he later handed himself over to police.
Mr Tong, who admitted killing his friend, said he had been in fear of his safety since Kik attacked his parents at their home recently.
Kik, a drug abuser, had threatened to further harm him and his family, so he bought a gun for protection. However, he still felt uneasy knowing he was in the neighbourhood.
His parents sell pottery and farming gear. Mr Tong said Kik deliberately drove his motorcycle into his father on the day of the attack, and threw earthen pots at him. He also threw an earthen water jug at his Mum. Both needed two weeks of hospital care.
Mr Tong said he laid a police complaint after the attack, but Kik secured bail. After being released from detox in Chiang Mai, he returned to the area.
On the night of the killing Mr Tong was heading to his wife's place, behind the victim's own, to spend the night with her and their five-year-old child when he saw his mate and decided to act.
Prachuab Yoothuam, the killer's aunt-in-law, said Mr Tong called his wife to say he was coming around. She was waiting at the door when she heard shots ring out.
"I called out to the neighbours to ask what happened, and they said Kik had been shot. But I never thought my nephew-in-law would be behind it," she said. Police took him to Muang station to lay charges.
Mine's bigger than yours
A man in Saraburi who threatened a workmate with a BB gun was shot by a 9mm calibre handgun for his troubles, ending his life.
Suwit Singpuek, 31, took the BB gun to an apartment in Sao Hai district where his workmate, Thirawat Phuhatna, 44, lives.
The two, who drive oil tankers for a fuel depot, had argued that morning. Suwit wanted to confront his mate over the matter, so took a BB gun to the encounter.
He drove his Chevrolet to a four-storey apartment complex at the entrance to soi Wat Phai Lom, strode towards Thirawat's place on the ground floor with a BB gun, and dared him to a duel. "Come out and shoot me!" he shouted, while hiding behind Thirawat's Nissan sedan, which was parked in front.
Thirawat opened the door, saw Suwit pointing a weapon at him, and opened fire with his own gun, hitting him once in the stomach and twice in the arm. One bullet entered the front of his vehicle and left out the back.
CCTV cameras show Suwit running for his life in the carpark. However, he made it only 50m before collapsing. He called out for help but died later from his injuries.
News reports said Suwit took along a "fake" gun to threaten his workmate, but was met by the real thing.
Napaporn, 45, who lives nearby, said Suwit turned up and asked if anyone had seen a Nissan March, driven by Mr Thirawat.
She said she hadn't seen it. Later someone called telling her to get to the front of Mr Thirawat's place, as a man was knocking on his door and demanding the occupant come out. After Suwit was shot and collapsed from his injuries, she called for help.
Mr Thirawat pleaded self-defence, saying he didn't know Suwit was carrying a mere BB gun. Nonetheless, police charged him with premeditated murder.
Mum's a cherished object
A druggie in Surat Thani killed a repeat visitor for showing too much interest in his recently-widowed mother, in what a relative said was a misunderstanding.
Wiang Sa police nabbed Suriyong Maikaew, 36, for hacking to death Sayan Lathawanich, 47, with an axe.
The killer was unhappy the victim was always dropping in to see his mother, family members say.
However, they say the drug-addicted killer misunderstood their relationship, as the victim was simply there as hired help.
Relatives found the victim's body stuffed in a hemp sack, hidden under the wreckage of an old pickup by a durian tree at a relative's home.
Sayan, who hails originally from Isan, moved to the South after marrying a local. After they split up he stayed in the area and hired out his services as a general helper.
Endu Rodcharoen, the killer's aunt, said she had hired Sayan to look after her elder brother, who is paralysed. Suriyong didn't like seeing him there, and had told him repeatedly not to chat with his mother. "I tried explaining to him that he was simply there to help, but he didn't listen," she said.
No one at the house saw the killing, she said, and the morning the victim's body was found, Suriyong was helping his uncle as if nothing had happened.
The killer's mother, "A", said her son had been held in custody at juvenile detention centres or jail 14 times over the years for his drug habit.
He was freed most recently in January, and reverted to his bad old ways.
"My daughter and I can't live with him owing to the drugs, we have to stay the night with relatives," she said.
Victim Sayan helped out many people in the area, and was popular. "He was always on call and good at what he did," she said.
Pol Col Paitoon Krachachang, head of Wiang Sa station, said the killer was wary of Sayan drawing close to his mother, who was widowed in May. Police charged him with premeditated murder.
