Hear two perspectives from the 'shop owner and friend of the deceased' Two sides give conflicting accounts about the case of a 26-year-old man fatally struck on the head with a pestle inside a barbershop.
At 17:30 on 17 Apr 2026 GMT+7, Pak Kret Police Station received a report of a man found dead at a men's barbershop located in Soi Amphon Paisan 18, Bang Phut Subdistrict, Pak Kret District, Nonthaburi Province. Police, volunteers from Poh Teck Tung Foundation, and forensic doctors from the Institute of Forensic Science rushed to the scene to investigate.
At the scene inside the barbershop, the deceased was identified as Mr. Thiti Kobsapcharoen, 26 years old. His body lay face down in a pool of blood, wearing a red T-shirt and black pants, holding a knife in his right hand. Nearby stood the suspect, Mr. Jeerawat Rattanawimantip, 59, the shop owner, awaiting police questioning.
In questioning, Mr. Jeerawat said, "I was opening the shop when the deceased came in asking to borrow 20,000 baht. I told him I had no money to lend. After I spoke, he looked at me strangely and came at me holding a sharp knife, attempting to stab me. I was stabbed in the abdomen and grazed on the chest. I tried to run and defend myself amid the chaos and scuffle. I grabbed a pestle and hit him on the head, causing his death. I did not stab him as he still held the knife in his hand."
"I knew him before as he was a regular customer, but he hadn’t come for a haircut in about 2-3 months. Regarding the friend’s claim that I waited for him to pick up a mobile phone from the shop, that is unrelated. He only came to borrow money. I don’t know about any phone because he arrived alone from somewhere unknown. He had told me earlier he wanted to talk, but I said I was busy and didn’t want to."
On the other hand, Mr. Thanachot, 26, a friend who accompanied the deceased to the barbershop the first time, said, "I am a friend of the deceased. The cause involves a love affair. The shop owner’s girlfriend had dated my friend who died but they broke up over a year ago. The woman then dated another man and became hostile toward my deceased friend. She left a phone at the shop and told others to have my friend come get it. I had already come once to collect the phone. The deceased asked me to accompany him today to avoid trouble. Originally, we planned to come after Songkran, but he came today, and the incident happened."
Meanwhile, Mr. Sataporn Muangwang, another friend of the deceased, said, "The deceased was my junior and had an affair with the shop owner’s girlfriend. The shop owner has three mistresses; my friend was involved with one of them. Before, my friend told me he had left a phone at the barbershop and was going to pick it up because the owner told him to come. I see this as a setup."
Additionally, according to rescue workers, the deceased was holding a knife. I believe the scene was staged. I want to ask for justice and urge the police to conduct a straightforward investigation. We will not let my friend’s death go unanswered."