Brother-in-law confesses to killing 21-year-old “Praew”

2026-03-09 - 03:03

CHIANG MAI — 8 March 2026, A 31-year-old man has confessed to strangling his sister-in-law, 21-year-old, whose body was found partially naked inside a house in a longan orchard in Chiang Mai province, police said. The body of Usa, also known as “Praew”, was discovered on the afternoon of 7 March at a residence in Nam Phrae subdistrict, Hang Dong district. Police said the lower half of the victim’s body was unclothed and there were marks on her neck consistent with strangulation using an object. Pol. Lt. Gen. Kritthapol Yeesakorn, commissioner of Provincial Police Region 5, said that police initially pursued several possible motives, including jealousy involving a former or current partner, robbery and attempted rape. Investigators questioned multiple individuals, including the victim’s former and current partners, the property owner and the caretaker of the garden and rental house where the victim lived, before ruling out other possibilities and focusing on the suspect, and focused on Phanuwat, nicknamed “Pond”, a 31-year-old furniture craftsman from Khon Kaen who is the victim’s brother-in-law and lived in the same house. Kritthapol said investigators have charged the suspect with intentional murder. The suspect told police that when he became intoxicated he sometimes experienced intense sexual urges. He said he had previously gone drinking at the shop where Praew worked, describing her as attractive and saying his strong sexual desire led him to commit the crime. The suspect confessed that he was tending to the orchard at the scene when he found the victim, known as Nong Praew, alone in her room. Overcome by impulse, he decided to enter and covered her with a blanket to conceal his identity. The victim struggled and resisted, prompting him to strangle her with his hands. As she continued to fight and cry out, he grabbed an electrical cord and tightened it around her neck until she went limp. He then pulled down her trousers intending to sexually assault her, but discovered she was menstruating and abandoned the attempt. At that moment, a delivery rider arrived with cosmetics the victim had ordered. The suspect took money from the victim’s bag to pay the rider. Afterwards, he ransacked the room, scattering belongings, and damaged the door knob to simulate a break-in robbery. He then fled to stay with his wife. After the case made headlines, he posed as a concerned citizen and orchard caretaker, voluntarily giving a statement to police to appear innocent. However, officers examined timelines and nearby CCTV footage, confronting him with inconsistencies until he confessed.