SONGKHLA — The "mother-in-law from hell", who faked her death to escape punishment for the murder of her son's bride-to-be, is still at large. Relatives of the victim are demanding that police capture the woman.
Juree Jan-ngam, 73, has even been seen in public around Hat Yai but it's said that her wealth and influence in the community have helped her to evade capture.
Now a group of community activists has joined the relatives of the murder victim to formally request that Crime Suppression Division police do the job the public pays them to do, which is to capture criminals.
Songkran Achariyasap, chairman of a local civil-society network, on Saturday accompanied Ruedeemat Singmanee, the mother of slain pharmacist Riewprae Chotikarn, to lodge a complaint with the CSD, asking its officers to arrest Juree and her daughter Rassamee Jan-ngam, 40.
Mrs Ruedeemat said she wanted to seek justice for her daughter as Juree was still living in Songkhla. She said the 73-year-old woman had earlier offered her 2 million baht if she would drop the case, but she refused.
Riewprae, 26, who was three months pregnant, was shot dead along with her assistant at a clinic in Ratthaphum district of Songkhla on the evening of Dec 13, 2007, only 16 days before her wedding to Juree's son, Wikrom Jan-ngam, 36.
A police investigation found that Juree opposed her son’s plans for marriage and arranged the contract killing of his bride-to-be.
Gunman Narin Janchay, 36, and Jamnong Kongsuwan, 40, his alleged accomplice, were subsequently arrested in Phatthalung after being implicated in the killings. Their arrests gave police the evidence to apprehend Juree.
Investigators sought to indict the trio, but prosecutors were forced to drop the charges against Mr Jamnong due to insufficient evidence.
Narin and Juree were later sentenced to death in two court trials. Juree appealed against her sentence and was released on 5-million-baht bond, while Narin stayed behind bars.
On Feb 27 last year, Juree's daughter Rassamee submitted a motion to the Songkhla Provincial Court, asking for the return of the bail money, claiming her mother had died three days earlier at a house in Chumphon province. She claimed Juree's body had been cremated at Wat Maneesop in Muang district on Feb 28.
The Supreme Court ordered an investigation into the reported death. Provincial prosecutors presented six witnesses including the temple undertaker and abbot, who said no cremation rite was ever held and none of them had seen a body.
The death certificate had been issued by the district based solely on a guarantee document from the village headman.
Police recently discovered that the murderous mother-in-law had faked her death and was hiding in Hat Yai.
Mr Songkran said he also wanted police to investigate those involved in issuing the death certificate.
Pol Lt Col Tharadol Hemmapat, a CSD investigator, said a police team had earlier been sent to track down Juree and her daughter in Songkhla, but failed to find them.
He said the CSD would now send officers to Chumphon to seek information from a village head and those involved in the unlawful issuing of the death certificate.