Nontiya Krowjatturat's last Facebook message set off alarms that would spell fatal consequences for her only days away from her wedding.
She and her fiance, Ronnachai Panchart, 26, had scheduled their wedding for Sunday in Chumphon, her home province. But she was shot dead allegedly by Mr Ronnachai in the early hours of Tuesday. The plan, and her life, were shattered by the blast of a shotgun.
Her death, however, was not complicated to solve, according to investigators from Salui police station which handled the case. Police spent about five hours identifying the gunman. Footage from security cameras provided vital clues as to the physical appearance of the suspect.
Contact Crime Track: crimetrack@bangkokpost.co.th.But earlier clues were obtained from Nontiya's frustration (ngud ngid mahk) she vented on her Facebook, accounts given by her father, as well as a "suspicious sounding" reply Mr Ronnachai gave police when the officers called him on the phone to deliver the bad news about his fiance's death.
According to police, investigators were taken aback by the cruel intentions behind the murder. He was to marry the woman, with whom he had been in a relationship for a long time. She discovered he had been having an affair with a younger woman who worked at the same office.
Nontiya worked as a dental health official in Tha Sae district of Chumphon.
Mr Ronnachai allegedly admitted to Salui police during a five-hour interrogation that he killed his bride-to-be with a shotgun in the residential compound of the tambon Salui Health Promotion Hospital in Tha Sae district where she worked, Chumphon police chief Pol Maj Gen Sonthichai Awattanakulthep said the day following her death.
Mr Ronnachai, an employee of the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (Egat)'s branch in the province, told police that despite their plan to wed, he did not love her any more. He found a new love, later identified as Narumon Chuaisombat.
Mr Ronnachai said he and Nontiyat had been a couple since they first met in high school several years ago.
Before arresting Mr Ronnachai, Salui police investigators reviewed security camera footage taken from the residential compound where he allegedly shot her to death. The footage showed a hooded man entering Nontiya's living quarters before she was found dead.
The officers also presented the footage to the woman's father, Chao, to look at, hoping he would be able to help identify the hooded man. The police did not say if the father recognised the man. However, investigators said the hooded man's physical appearance closely resembled that of Mr Ronnachai.
Mr Chao also told police his daughter's relationship with Mr Ronnachai turned sour for after Nontiya found out her boyfriend was seeing Ms Narumon.
This led to bitter quarrels between his daughter and Mr Ronnachai who, according to Mr Chao, beat her up during an argument.
According to police, Mr Ronnachai showed a tendency to resort to violence when provoked. After Nontiya was found dead, the police contacted Mr Ronnachai and asked if he knew she had died.
Mr Ronnachai stammered and gave a vague answer. And although lost for words, showed little concern about her fate.
A police investigator said something "major" was amiss about Mr Ronnachai's behaviour. "[His reaction] spoke much louder than words," the investigator said.
His natural, calm reaction to the bad news raised police investigators' suspicions.
Instead of heading to Nontiya's place to see her family, he chose to meet the police first. After five hours of questioning, Mr Ronnachai allegedly admitted he had pulled the trigger and shot Nontiya to death.
According to his confession, Mr Ronnachai asked Ms Narumon to drive him to the hospital during the late evening of Dec 18.
He walked to Nontiya's living quarters, after telling Narumon to turn off the car's headlight.
He pushed the security camera installed in the area in another direction before using an iron bar to break into Nontiya's room through the window.
Mr Ronnachai told police he was rummaging through her room to look for cash worth 400,000 and 10 baht weight of gold intended to be the wedding dowry. His search woke Nonitya and as he was making his escape, Nontiya chased him. He then turned to her and shot her in the chest, according to police.
Ms Narumon drove the car round to pick him up. As he made his escape, he dropped the gun into Khlong Tha Taphao in Chumphon's Tha Sae district.
The suspect claimed he had been under pressure to marry Nontiya against his will. He had to borrow almost one million baht for the wedding.
The debt left him stressed which made him decide to "end it" by taking Nontiya's life, Pol Maj Gen Sonthichai said after questioning Mr Ronnachai.
Police on Friday retrieved the weapon from the canal. It was the same day the court granted warrants for the arrest of Mr Ronnachai on a charge of premeditated murder of Nontiya, and for Narumon on a charge of colluding in the murder of Nontiya. The two suspects are remanded in the Chumphon Prison's custody.
Mr Ronnachai denied involvement in the murder while Ms Narumon allegedly admitted she drove Mr Ronnachai to the hospital. However, according to a police source, Ms Narumon bought a gun for Mr Ronnachai for 7,000 baht after he told her he needed the weapon for self-protection.