Dr Nitiwadee Pucharoenyos was freed on bail Tuesday evening after being sentenced to death and spending a night in jail for the murder of her husband and ex-national shooting team member Jakkrit Panichpatikum.
The Appeals Court granted bail for a surety of 1 million baht to the 40-year-old anti-aging physician, better known as "Mor Nim", and prohibited her from travelling overseas without court approval.
The Min Buri Provincial Court on Monday sentenced to death Nitiwadee and Santi Thongsem, 30, a lawyer, for hiring Jirasak Klinkhlai, 35, a gunman, between August and Oct 19, 2013, to kill Jakkrit in 2013.
The court handed life imprisonment terms to gunman Jirasak, and Thawatchai Phetchote, 35, who drove a motorcycle for Jirasak to commit the murder. After the judgement, the four were taken to Min Buri Remand Prison.
Chamnan Chadit, the lawyer for Dr Nitiwadee, said he had filed a bail request offering 2.5-million-baht security and handed over his client’s passport as a guarantee that Nitiwadee would not jump bail.
The Appeal Court approved the bail for Dr Nitiwadee, the mother of two, saying she did not pose a flight risk and had a permanent address.
During the trial, the prosecution also named Surang Duangjinda, 74, Nitiwadee’s mother, as a defendant but the court dismissed the case against her in its ruling on Monday. The court said it gave Ms Surang the benefit of doubt as there was no evidence against her.
Jakkrit was shot three times while driving his black Porsche outside Wat Bampen Tai, near Soi Ramkhamhaeng 166 in Bangkok’s Min Buri district late on Oct 19, 2013.
About a month later, Mrs Surang admitted to police she had ordered the killing because she wanted to protect her daughter, whom Jakkrit had allegedly abused during their six-year marriage, and claimed her daughter was not involved in the murder.