Prosecutors have handed down the first indictments in the case of Sararat “Aem Cyanide” Rangsiwuthaporn, who is accused of poisoning 14 people to death.
Charges of attempted murder and colluding in theft have been pressed against Ms Sararat, 35, her ex-husband Pol Lt Col Withoon Rangsiwuthaporn, 39, and her lawyer Thanicha Aeksuwannawat, 35. Pol Lt Col Withoon and Ms Thanicha are also charged with helping Ms Sararat avoid arrest and colluding to conceal and destroy evidence.
The indictments were handed down by the Office of Criminal Cases 5 in the Office of the Attorney General (OAG), a source said on Wednesday.
All three suspects have denied the accusations, the source said.
Prosecutors said Ms Sararat would be denied bail if she requests it. The charges are punishable by high penalties, meaning there is a high chance of the suspect being a flight risk.
Ms Sararat appeared before the court via a video link from the Correctional Institution for Women in the Bang Khen area of Bangkok, where she is being detained.
Pol Lt Col Withoon and Ms Thanicha have also appeared in court. They were released on bail of 100,000 baht each, the source said.
The court has set Oct 2 for evidence examination, requiring the presence of both suspects and victims.
The investigation into the murders started from Ms Sararat’s arrest on April 25 in connection with the death of Siriporn “Koy” Khanwong, one of her 15 alleged poisoning victims.
Siriporn collapsed and died on the banks of the Mae Klong River in Ban Pong district of Ratchaburi, where she had released fish while merit-making on April 14 with Ms Sararat. Cyanide was found in the victim’s bloodstream.
Ms Sararat was also reported to have stolen Siriporn’s designer bags, mobile phones and lottery tickets worth 154,630 baht.
Later Ms Sararat was accused of poisoning 15 people with cyanide and killing 14 of them. Police have alleged she pawned the victims’ property and used the money to pay off her ex-husband’s debts.
Police last month wrapped up their investigation into the 14 killings and one attempted murder and began turning over their case files to prosecutors, who are still reviewing the 14 murder cases.
Deputy national police chief Pol Gen Surachate Hakparn said Ms Sararat faces more than 75 charges — including premeditated murder, attempted murder, theft causing death and forgery in 15 cases that spanned from 2015 to this year.
The crimes were committed in seven provinces — Nakhon Pathom, Samut Sakhon, Kanchanaburi, Phetchaburi, Ratchaburi, Udon Thani and Mukdahan.