KHON KAEN - An elderly man who said he had been haunted in his dreams by his wife since he killed her in a fit of anger and dumped her body in a pond has been arrested by police and charged with murder.
He told police he was so bothered by the dreams that he was about to turn himself in.
Phu Wiang police said the body of Orn Donkanha, 67, was found in a pond near Wat Santikaram in tambon Song Peuy of Phu Wiang district on April 15. She had been bashed on the left temple with hard object and had been dead around three days when she was found.
The police initially had no clue who was responsible, but suspicion later focussed on Sombot Samuk, 68, her new husband.
Mr Sombot and Orn had both been widowed and had been seeing each other for a few months. Although they each had their own home they frequenlty stayed together and were regarded as husband and wife.
He had disappeared from the area and police found out he was staying at a relative’s house in Chum Phae district in Khon Kaen.
The police sought an arrest warrant from the court on April 17 on a murder charge, and later arrested Mr Sombot.
Pol Maj Gen Churat Panngeo, superintendent of Provincial Police Region 4, said on Sunday that Mr Sombot admitted to killing his wife on April 11.
He said Mr Sombot and Orn were both widowed and had been together for some months.
Mr Sombot said Orn had frequenlty scolded him, but claimed he had been patient with her.
Mr Sombot said at Orn's invitation he accompanied her to a shadow puppet show in the village on April 11. On the way back home she scolded him severely about his family and his children, and expelled him from her house.
He became angry and hit her twice with a wooden plank he saw beside the road. She fell to the ground and died shortly after. So he dumped her body in the pond.
He then returned to his home, changed and burned the clothes he had been wearing, and fled to Phu Kradung district of Loei. He later moved to stay with relatives in Chum Phae district.
The accused told police that while he was in hiding he dreamed about the dead woman every night, and she told him to surrender to police or she would continue to haunt him in his dreams.
Mr Sombot said he had been so upset by the dreams he contacted a relative in order to turn himself in, but he was arrested before he could go to the police station.