A young man in a jealous rage who rammed his pickup truck into a motorcycle on which his wife was a passenger, killing her, has surrendered to police and been charged with murder.
Beer Chairueksri, 25, contacted Bang Poo police to arrange his surrender at Bangkok’s Bang Khen police station on Tuesday night. He was later taken to Samut Prakan’s Bang Poo police station.
Mr Beer has admitted he was driving the pickup truck that rammed into the motorcycle on which his wife Pathumthip Wanitchaklang, 22, was riding pillion in tambon Bang Poo, Samut Prakan, early on Monday morning.
Panthip was killed and the bike's rider, Adisorn Ruangsakpracha, 23, was seriously injured. Two people in the suspect's pickup, his mother and daughter, were also injured.
Mr Beer told police that he and Pathumthip had lived together for eight years and they had one daughter, now aged 5. He claimed his wife had earlier run away with another man. He forgave her and took her back. However, she had not changed her behaviour, he said.
Pathumthip recently left him to stay at her mother’s house in Samut Prakan. He had tried to persuade her to return home, but she refused, Mr Beer said. Before the incident, his wife phoned him, but did not say anything. However, he claimed he heard the sound of people having sex. His anger grew after listening for almost 10 minutes, the said.
He then drove out in his pickup with his mother, stepfather and his daughter on board, to look for his wife. He finally found her travelling on the back of a motorcycle with Mr Adisak in tambon Bang Poo around 5am on Monday. He asked the pair to stop for a talk, but they refused and sped away. He angrily gave chase.
He claimed Mr Adisak suddenly braked his bike at the mouth of a small side street. He was unable to pull up in time and hit the motorcycle and other vehicles parked there. After the accident, he fled to a friend's place in Pathum Thani, before contacting police to arrange his surrender.
Police investigators reported that Pathumthip had been partying with seven friends before the accident. Adisorn was taking her to her home on his bike when Mr Beer saw them. He then rammed his pickup truck into the bike.
The crash knocked Pathumthip off the bike. Mr Beer did not not stop and his vehicle ran over her body and hit other vehicles parked nearby. His mother and daughter also sustained injuries, according to Thai media.
Police initially pressed murder charges against him and held him in custody for legal action.