Thailand retains the death penalty for crimes including premeditated murder and murder during robbery, but a capital sentence does not necessarily result in an execution. Appeals, Supreme Court rulings and royal pardon applications can all alter the final outcome. Five cases that shocked Thailand illustrate the different paths through the justice system. They also underline that Thailand's criminal process can take years to complete, even after a highly publicised conviction. Cases still moving through the courts Sararat Rangsiwuthaporn, known as "Am Cyanide", received a death sentence from the Criminal Court for premeditated murder and robbery causing death. She was accused of using cyanide in food, drinks and herbal medicine given to friends, acquaintances and people in savings groups. The case emerged after the suspicious death of Siriporn Khankaw, known as Koi, beside the Mae Klong River in Ratchaburi. Investigators subsequently linked more than 14 alleged victims to the case. Sararat remains held at the Central Women's Correctional Institution while appeals and Supreme Court proceedings continue; no execution can take place before every court stage is complete. In the Lopburi gold-shop robbery, Prasittichai Khaokaeo, known as "Director Golf", was sentenced to death by the trial court, Appeal Court and Supreme Court. On 9 January 2020, he entered an Aurora gold shop in Robinson shopping centre in Lopburi wearing a balaclava and camouflage clothing, armed with a silenced handgun and travelling by motorcycle. Three people were killed, including two-year-old Titan, who was walking hand-in-hand with his mother, while four others were seriously injured. He fled with 28 baht-weight of gold worth more than 600,000 baht and later told police that personal debts were behind the robbery. Although the verdict is final, he remains in prison awaiting legal procedures and may submit a petition for a royal pardon. A life term and a death in custody Former Nakhon Sawan police superintendent Thitisan Utthanaphon, known as "Jo Ferrari" or "Superintendent Joe", was initially sentenced to death for the torture and killing of a drug suspect in August 2021. Thitisan and six other officers detained the man at Mueang Nakhon Sawan Police Station. During questioning, the suspect's head was covered with six or seven black plastic bags and his hands tied behind his back. CCTV footage of the interrogation was later made public. The Central Criminal Court for Corruption and Misconduct Cases found Thitisan guilty of jointly murdering a person through torture or cruel treatment. His sentence was reduced by one-third to life imprisonment after the court considered attempts to save the suspect after he lost consciousness and compensation paid to the victim's family. Thitisan was serving his sentence at Klong Prem Central Prison when he died in his cell on 7 March 2025, after about three years and six months in custody. The Department of Corrections said he had taken his own life, citing underlying illness and psychiatric or stress-related paranoid symptoms, and set up a fact-finding committee. Pardons and Thailand's latest execution In the 2014 murder of 13-year-old Kaem on express train 174 from Nakhon Si Thammarat to Bangkok, Wanchai Saengkhao, known as Game, was sentenced to death by the trial and Appeal Courts. The girl disappeared from her sleeping berth on the night of 5 July into the morning of 6 July. Investigators said Wanchai, a railway contract worker who had used drugs and alcohol, raped and killed her before throwing her body from the moving train near Pran Buri, Prachuap Khiri Khan. His colleague Nattakorn Chamnan, who acted as a lookout, received four years in prison after confessing. Wanchai's death sentence was later reduced to life imprisonment through royal pardons on several important occasions. The case prompted public calls for an end to alcohol sales on trains and stronger safety measures - an issue still relevant to visitors using Thailand's long-distance rail network. The only one of the five defendants executed was Theerasak Longji, known as Mick of Ban Khok Phla. He was 19 when he killed another 19-year-old male secondary-school student in Trang on 17 July 2012, stabbing him more than 24 times to steal a wallet and an iPhone. All three courts upheld his death sentence for murder to facilitate robbery. After his royal pardon petition was rejected, Theerasak was executed by lethal injection at Bang Kwang Central Prison on 18 June 2018, Thailand's most recent execution. Pictures courtesy of Daily News Join the discussion? 9 August 2026
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