A woman in Thailand has been sentenced to death in the first of a series of cases in which she is accused of murdering 14 people with cyanide.
Sararat Rangsiwuthaporn36, known to Thai media as “Am Cyanide”was convicted by a Bangkok court of killing her friend Siriporn Kanwong while they were on a trip to release fish into the Mae Klong River as part of a Buddhist ritual in April 2023, media outlets including the Bangkok Post, BBC and The Guardian reported.
The accused was declared guilty of putting poison in her wealthy friend’s food and drink. The victim collapsed and died after eating with Sararat, who made no effort to help her, investigators said.
Kanwong’s relatives refused to accept that he died of natural causes and an autopsy found traces of cyanide in his body.
According to the Bangkok Post, there were “lethal levels of potassium cyanide in the victim’s blood, stomach and liver,” and experts believe Kanwong may have ingested the chemical in the car before heading to the river.
Why did he kill them?
Police arrested Sararat and discovered other similar deaths dating back to 2015. Only one person he allegedly attacked managed to survive..
During the hearing, the judge accused Rangsiwuthaporn of being a gambling addict who “turned to murder and robbery to pay her debts,” CNN reported, citing Thai broadcaster NBT Connext.
“He asked people he knew for money because he has a lot of credit card debt… and If they asked her to pay them back, she would start killing them.“said the deputy director of the national police, Surachate Hakparn.
“You had justice, my daughter. Today, there is justice in this world,” Siriporn’s mother, Thongpin Kiatchanasiri, said outside the courtroom, holding a photo of the victim.
Thongpin said that out of anger he could not bear to look at Sararat, who, he said, I was smiling when the sentence was read. Sararat pleaded not guilty to the charges against her.
Cyanide deprives the body’s cells of oxygen, which can cause heart attacks. Early symptoms include dizziness, shortness of breath, and vomiting. It can cause lung damage, coma and death within seconds when consumed in large quantities, but even small doses can be very harmful.
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