Jilted lover commits murder-suicide

WICHIT: A rubber plantation worker on Saturday shot dead his ex-fiancée after discovering that she had been living with a new boyfriend. He then turned the gun on himself, shooting himself in the head. Lt Col Chartchai Nicrodhanon, Deputy Superintendent (Suppression) of Phuket Town Police Station, today told the Gazette that he and other officers arrived at the scene of the murder-suicide at about 9 am to find Trang rubber worker Sanjorn Noonsri, 34, with a single gunshot wound to the head and Trang native Junpen Kaewkamned, 23, shot once in the chest. Col Chartchai explained that Sanjorn had been engaged to K. Junpen while she was studying at Rajabhat Institute Phuket, and that the couple had planned to marry after she had graduated. Sanjorn regularly sent K. Junpen money to help finance her education. However, after K. Junpen graduated earlier this year, she stopped responding to Sanjorn’s messages. Suspicious that another man had stolen his fiancée’s heart, Sanjorn sent her a message on Friday, June 13, to say he would come to see her the following morning. When K. Junpen failed to meet him on arrival, Sanjorn went to the Rajabhat Institute Phuket dormitory where he thought she was staying, but was told that K. Junpen had moved to live with her new boyfriend, 26-year-old Pongkwan Sangjun, about two months earlier. Sanjorn went to K. Pongkwan’s family home on Soi Suntorn-U-Thit, off Chao Fa West Rd, where he and K. Junpen became embroiled in a heated argument lasting about half an hour and ending with two gunshots. When officers arrived, a pistol was found in Sunjorn’s hand. In his other hand was a single bullet police believe was intended for K. Pongkwan, who was at work that morning. The bodies were taken to Wachira Phuket Hospital to await collection by relatives.