AFTER being found guilty in two murder cases, serial killer suspect Ms. Sararat Rangsiwutthaporn, dubbed Am Cyanide by the media, was today (Mar. 11) acquitted in the third murder case with the Criminal Court ruling that the prosecution failed to prove the defendant possessed cyanide and that there was no motive for theft, PPTVHD36 said.
This case stemmed from allegations that between August 22-23, 2020,the defendant poisoned Ms. Nittaya Kaewbuppha, 36, with cyanide. She is accused of murdering 14 friends with cyanide.
The court considered the testimony of witnesses who confirmed seeing the defendant visiting the deceased at a hospital construction site in Nakhon Pathom province. They clearly remembered the defendant’s face. Therefore, the defendant’s claim that she never visited the deceased at this construction site is considered an unsubstantiated assertion.
On the night of the incident, a witness, a creditor of the deceased, went to the deceased’s apartment and saw the defendant and deceased talking in the lobby. The deceased claimed to the witness that she had pawned her car for 150,000 baht and would repay the witness the next day after depositing the money in the bank, however the witness did not get the money. The deceased also invited the witness to join the two of them for dinner, but declined the invitation and later learned of the deceased’s death.
Regarding the autopsy results, the doctor who performed the autopsy testified in court that he did not check whether the death was caused by cyanide poisoning because there was no suspicion that this could have happened. However, doctors at Siriraj Hospital, experts in toxicology, informed investigators that, based on photographs of the death and the forensic autopsy results, the symptoms resembled those caused by cyanide poisoning. The Siriraj Hospital doctors’ opinion was scientifically sound, consistent with the forensic pathologist’s autopsy and witness testimonies confirming the deceased was in good health. Therefore, it is believed the cause of death was not due to illness with these facts supporting the conclusion that the deceased was poisoned with cyanide.
Regarding whether the defendant desired the deceased’s assets, the evidence suggests the deceased had pawned two cars to the defendant. After the deceased’s death, the defendant informed the deceased’s husband to redeem the cars for 150,000 baht. Therefore, there is reasonable doubt as to whether the defendant intended to acquire the deceased’s assets as alleged by the prosecution.
As for the issue of possession of cyanide, according to the investigation evidence, the defendant ordered cyanide on August 9, 2022 with the plaintiff unable to prove how the defendant obtained or used the cyanide.
Determining the defendant’s guilt must be done on a case-by-case basis with judgements of other cases not applicable to this case, the court said.
Even though the court acquitted the defendant, in cases carrying the death penalty, the court allows for the defendant to be detained pending appeal with the prosecution having the right to do so.
Regarding other ongoing cases, the lawyer said these can be divided into two groups, those that occurred before August 9, 2022,when the cyanide purchase took place, and cases that occurred afterwards. The details will depend on the evidence in each case as determined by the court.
The Criminal Court had previously ruled on two cases against Am Cyanide. In the first case, she was found guilty of intentionally adding cyanide to the food of Ms. Siriporn Khanwong, 33, resulting in her death and was sentenced to death.
In the second case, the Criminal Court sentenced Am Cyanide to life imprisonment for adding cyanide to the food given to Pol. Lt. Col. Nipa Saenchon, 38, leading to her death.
CAPTON:
Police arrested Sararat Rangsiwuthaporn in Bangkok in April 2023. Above photo – EPA and published by BBC, Front Page photo – PPTVHD36
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