Serial Murders with Cyanide Since 2015
Online Gambling Addiction... Killing to Avoid Debt Repayment
A woman in her 30s in Thailand was sentenced to death for allegedly poisoning at least 14 acquaintances with cyanide.
Thai woman Sararat Langsiyutaporn, accused of killing at least 14 people with cyanide. Photo by EPA Yonhap News
On the 21st (local time), AFP and local media such as the Bangkok Post and Khaosod reported that the Bangkok court sentenced Sararat Langsiyutapon (37) to death for the cyanide serial murder charges. The court also found her ex-husband, a former police officer who helped hide the victims' bags, and his lawyer guilty of evidence tampering, sentencing them to 1 year and 4 months and 2 years in prison, respectively.
Sararat is accused of poisoning a friend (32, female) with cyanide-laced food and water in April last year. At the time, Sararat took the victim to the banks of the Mae Khlong River in Bangkok under the pretense of a fish release ritual. After the victim lost consciousness and died, Sararat fled the scene.
The victim's family, who found it hard to believe the death was natural, requested an autopsy, which revealed a lethal level of cyanide. The police arrested Sararat. During the investigation into Sararat's past, the police uncovered that since 2015, she had been poisoning 15 acquaintances, including friends. Fourteen of the victims died, and only one survived.
Local police believe that Sararat, addicted to online gambling, committed the murders to avoid repaying money she had borrowed from the victims. In fact, investigations revealed that Sararat borrowed 300,000 baht (approximately 12 million KRW) from one victim, then killed her and stole her jewelry. Sararat is currently on trial for the murders of 13 other victims and one attempted murder case, in addition to this sentence.
The mother of one of the victims wept after the verdict, saying, "Justice has been served." She addressed her deceased daughter, saying, "Now rest peacefully without worry." However, local media reported that Sararat showed no remorse during the sentencing hearing the previous day, chatting and laughing with accomplices throughout the session.
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