Thailand: Woman charged with killing 14 using cyanide
June 30, 2023
A Thai woman is facing 80 charges including premeditated murder, with authorities claiming she used cyanide to kill 14 people after previously swindling them.
Thai police said on Friday they have concluded their investigation into Sararat Rangsiwuthaporn, who was arrested in April after reports from the families of many of her alleged victims.
The suspect is believed to have stolen or borrowed money from nearly all of their victims, before mixing cyanide with their food between 2015 and 2023. One of her victims has survived.
Sararat denied murdering the victims but confessed to using cyanide, Thai police said. The deadly chemical rapidly interferes with the body's ability to use oxygen.
What did the police say about the case?
The police believe Sararat is Thailand's worst ever serial killer.
Deputy police chief Surachate Hakparn called the case "historic" and said it would be forwarded to prosecutors later on Friday.
"Thailand has had serial killers before, but the number of deaths was not this high," he told a press conference.
"Even Jack the Ripper from the UK did not kill this many," he added, in reference to a serial killer believed to have killed at least five women in London's East End in the late 19th century.
Other charges Sararat faces include forgery and theft. Police said the suspect, who is pleading not guilty, was addicted to online gambling.
She is believed to have swindled a total sum of over $140,000 (approximately €129,166) out of her victims before poisoning them. The police said over 900 witnesses were interviewed in the investigations, with some 25,000 documents examined.
Earlier this week, Sararat had a miscarriage in prison, where she is being held with no possibility of bail. Police denied the miscarriage was related to the interrogation.
rmt/dj (AFP, Reuters)