A Thai woman has been sentenced to death after being accused of murdering 14 friends with cyanide last year.
A court in Bangkok found 36-year-old Sararat Rangsiwuthaporn guilty of putting poison in a wealthy friend’s food and drink while they were on a trip last year.
The police arrested Sararat and uncovered other similar deaths going back to 2015. One more person who was allegedly attacked by Sararat survived.
However, the relatives of the friend refused to accept she died of natural causes, and an autopsy found traces of cyanide in her body.
Police said Sararat, dubbed Am Cyanide by Thai media, had a gambling addiction and targeted friends she owed money to, then stole their jewellery and valuables.
They added that Sararat travelled with her friend Siripron Khanwong, 32, to Ratchaburi province, west of Bangkok, in April 2023, where they participated in a Buddhist protection ritual at a river.
Following this, Siripron collapsed and died after having a meal with Sararat, who did not make any effort to help her, according to the investigators.
The police further said that traces of cyanide were found in Siriporn’s body, and her phone, money, and bags were missing when she was found.
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“You got justice, my child. Today, there is justice in this world,” Siriporn’s mother, Thongpin Kiatchanasiri, said while holding a photo of her daughter.
Sararat pleaded not guilty to the charges against her.
Moreover, her former husband, an ex-police officer, and her lawyer were also handed prison terms of one year and four months, and two years respectively, for hiding evidence to help her evade prosecution.
They also pleaded not guilty before Wednesday’s sentencing.
The police said that her ex-husband, Vitoon Rangsiwuthaporn, most likely helped Sararat poison an ex-boyfriend, Suthisak Poonkwan.
(With inputs from agencies)