A woman in Thailand has been sentenced to death after being found guilty of murdering one person with cyanide and accused of fatally poisoning 13 others.
On Wednesday, Nov. 20, a court in Bangkok convicted Sararat Rangsiwuthaporn, 36 — dubbed Am Cyanide by Thai media — of killing her friend Siriporn Kanwong with the chemical while they were on a trip to release fish into the Mae Klong river as part of a Buddhist ritual in April 2023, per outlets including the Bangkok Post, the BBC and The Guardian.
Traces of cyanide were found in the victim’s body and her money, phone and bags were missing, the BBC reported, citing police. Rangsiwuthaporn has pleaded not guilty to the crimes.
The Bangkok Post reported there were “fatal levels of potassium cyanide in the victim’s blood, stomach and liver” and that experts think Kanwong could have ingested the chemical in the car before they headed down to the river.
The outlet reported police said there was evidence Rangsiwuthaporn had ordered potassium cyanide and that traces of the chemical had been found in “several spots in her car.”
Thongpin Kiatchanasiri, Siriporn Khanwong’s mother, holds a picture of her daughter outside court in Bangkok on Nov. 20.
NARONG SANGNAK/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
During the hearing, the judge accused Rangsiwuthaporn of being a gambling addict who “turned to murder and robbery to pay off her debts,” CNN reported, citing Thai broadcaster NBT Connext.
Deputy national police chief, Surachate Hakparn, said of Rangsiwuthaporn’s conviction, per The Guardian, “She asked people she knows for money because she has a lot of credit card debt … and if they asked her for their money back, she started killing them.”
According to the outlet, police have linked Rangsiwuthaporn to previously unsolved cyanide poisonings dating back as far as 2015.
Victim Kanwong’s mother, Tongpin Kiatchanasiri, told reporters after the verdict was announced, per the outlet “The court’s decision is just. I want to tell my daughter that I miss her deeply and justice has been done for her today.”
Thailand’s deputy national police chief Surachate Hakparn (C) leads a press conference regarding the case of Sararat Rangsiwuthaporn in June 2023.
LILLIAN SUWANRUMPHA/AFP via Getty
Sararat’s ex-husband, Vitoon Rangsiwuthaporn — a former police officer who surrendered last year after officers issued an arrest warrant over his alleged links to the crime — was sentenced to one year and four months in prison for hiding evidence, the BBC reported.
Police believe Vitoon may have helped his ex-wife after she allegedly poisoned her ex-boyfriend, Suthisak Poonkwan, the outlet added.
Sararat’s lawyer, Thanicha Eksuwanwat — accused of urging Vitoon to destroy evidence linking his ex-wife to Kanwong’s killing — was sentenced to two years in prison, CNN reported, citing a judgment summary.
The outlet stated Vitoon and Eksuwanwat had both been granted bail by the court pending their appeals. According to the BBC, both have pleaded not guilty.
“My client is innocent … She is not satisfied with the court verdict,” Eksuwanwat told CNN of Sararat after the verdict was announced.
This is the first of 14 murder trials for Sararat. Per CBS News, another person who she attempted to poison with “herb capsules” survived, police said.
Along with her sentencing, Sararat has been ordered to pay Kanwong’s family two million baht (around $57,700), per the BBC.
