Cabbie gets death for murders

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Cabbie gets death for murders
Published: 22/09/2010 at 12:00 AM
Bangkok Post: Newspaper section: News

A taxi driver has been sentenced to death for the killing of his lover and her five-year-old son last October and dismembering the boy's body.



yesterday handed down the death sentence to Siripong Kanchananiwit, 41, after he confessed to shooting Sunan Srisuwan, 38, and Sho Makino, 5, on Oct 10, 2009, while driving them from Suvarnabhumi airport to a condominium on Ratchadaphisek Road.

Siripong also confessed to having shot and wounded Sunan's 13-year-old daughter, Pichaya Jongngamwilai, who was also travelling in the taxi, and to having stolen Sunan's valuables and more than 200,000 baht in cash.

The court heard Siripong detained Pichaya at a condominium in the Taling Chan area after killing her mother and step-brother. It was there that he dismembered the boy's body and placed the parts in black plastic bags before dumping them at nearby Phiman housing estate. His mother's body was found dumped in Pathum Thani's Lat Lum Kaeo district.

Siripong, who contacted Thai News Agency and Modernine TV on Oct 13 and surrendered to police before television cameras, was also found guilty of molesting Pichaya while holding her against her will. He pleaded innocent to having molested the girl.

The court sentenced him to death yesterday for the premeditated murder of Sunan and Sho, to life in prison for the attempted murder of Pichaya, to six years in jail for theft, to two years for detaining and molesting Pichaya, and a further 12 months in jail for illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition.

The sentences were combined into the maximum death sentence.

Pichaya appeared at the court yesterday accompanied by her father, Chayuth Jongngamwilai, to hear the reading of the sentence.

They travelled from their home in Chiang Mai.

"I wish my mother and brother could know that we did it [came to the court]. We've tried our best," Pichaya said.

"Personally, I have to confess that I cannot forget what happened and I am still very angry with Siripong for killing my mother and brother.

"I probably will never forgive him even though he was sentenced to death."