Robbery-murder suspect claims he 'killed for the thrill'
published : 22 Jan 2020 at 22:21
writer: Gary Boyle
ORIGINAL SOURCE/WRITER: Wassayos Ngamkham
The suspect arrested for the triple-murder and holdup at a gold shop in Lop Buri two weeks ago is the director of a primary school and claimed he killed to spice up his boring life, according to police sources.
The man suspected of shooting dead three people, including a young boy, and severely wounding four others is Prasittichai Khaokaew, 38, the director of Wat Pho Chai School in nearby Muang district of neighbouring Sing Buri province, the sources said.
The suspect was arrested in Lop Buri on Wednesday morning on his way to work at the school.
According to the sources, investigators from the Crime Suppression Division (CSD) identified the suspect a week ago thanks to tips from local residents. Police obtained a warrant for his arrest on Tuesday evening.
Mr Prasitthichai lives in Lop Buri and was arrested while driving to his school on Wednesday morning.
Armed CSD police stopped the car on the highway. Mr Prasittichai did not resist arrest. Police did not find a gun in the car, but did find a lot of 9mm pistol ammunition, the same calibre used by gunman in the murder and robbery at the Aurora gold shop in the Robinson store complex in Lop Buri on the night of Jan 9.
"Mr Prasittichai said that he committed the crime because he was bored with his life and needed a challenge and excitement to spice it up. He knew well that police would finally arrest him," a source said.
He allegedly used a gun that belonged to his father, a former policeman. He returned the gun to his father the day after the crime. He also returned the red Yamaha Fino motorcycle he used during the hold-up to his father-in-law.
Police said they did not really believe the suspect killed for the thrill, and would continue to question him.
On Wednesday the suspect took police to a spot along a secondary road where he ditched the clothes he wore on the day of the crime.
The suspect allegedly also told police he dumped the gold he stole in the Chao Phraya river in Sing Buri. Police were verifying the claim.
One of the people killed during the hold-up was Thidarat Thongthip, 31, a woman employed by the Aurora gold shop.
Her father Surakit Thongthip on Wednesday rejected speculation that the crime was motivated by jealousy. He said he had never met or even seen the suspect.
A picture of Prasittichai Khaokaew from his Facebook page
Learn from listening
Vocabulary
- allegedly: claimed to have done something wrong, but not yet proven - ที่กล่าวหา
- ammunition: bullets, bombs, etc that can be fired from a weapon - อาวุธยุทธภัณฑ์, ลูกกระสุน
- Crime Suppression Division (CSD): a national police department responsible for conducting most of the technical investigations of criminal offenses - กองบังคับการปราบปราม
- hold-up: an act of stealing from a bank, etc. using a gun -
- jealousy: a feeling of unhappiness and anger because someone has something or someone that you want - ความขี้หึง, ความหึงหวง
- resist arrest: to refuse to be taken away by the police - ขัดขืนการจับกุม
- severely: very seriously - อย่างรุนแรง
- source: a place where information comes from; someone who gives information - แหล่ง
- speculation: ideas or discussion about why something has happened or what might happen - คาดการณ์ ประเมิณสถานการณ์
- spice up: make more exciting and interesting -
- thrill: a sudden feeling of being very excited and pleased - ความรู้สึกตื่นเต้น
- warrant (noun): a legal document that is signed by a judge and gives the police authority to do something - หมาย
- Keywords
- police
- suspect
- gold shop
- department store
