Sichon police arrested a 61-year-old elder brother-in-law who fatally shot his brother-in-law in a palm plantation. He confessed after being confronted with bullet serial numbers found in his home that matched casings at the crime scene, but he refused to disclose the motive.
The case involved Mr. Suchets, 57, who was ambushed and shot dead in a palm plantation at Village No. 10, Si Khit Subdistrict, Sichon District, Nakhon Si Thammarat. The incident and discovery of the body occurred on the evening of 29 Apr. The victim's body showed gunshot wounds from a .380 caliber firearm: one shot to the right temple that exited, and three shots to the left chest. A bullet casing was found at the scene along with the victim's grass cutter lying nearby.
Investigation revealed that Mr. Suchets, the victim, owned the palm plantation and had two wives, often moving between two houses. Before the incident, he had driven from the first wife’s house to cut grass in the plantation. Near dusk, the victim was riding a motorcycle with the grass cutter strapped on his back to return home when he was ambushed and shot dead. Police suspect the motive relates to family issues and debts, as previously reported.
At approximately 23:00 on 7 May, Sichon Police received a lead on the suspect. Officers raided and arrested Mr. Taweekoon, 61, elder brother of the first wife, whose house is only 200 meters from the crime scene. He was taken in for questioning at the police station.
Police had checked all entry and exit routes and found no suspicious cars or motorcycles within 10 hours before the incident. They were confident the perpetrator lived nearby and had only one suspect: Mr. Taweekoon’s residence. After discovering the body, police questioned Mr. Taweekoon’s household, but he and his family gave suspicious answers, claiming they didn’t hear gunshots due to loud music playing, despite living just 200 meters from the scene.
Police obtained a search warrant for Mr. Taweekoon’s home and found a box of .380 caliber bullets—the same caliber used in the shooting—stored in a drawer. The box contained 10 rounds. Serial numbers on the bullets matched the casings found at the crime scene, which police kept as evidence. Mr. Taweekoon was summoned for further interrogation at the station.
Initially, Mr. Taweekoon, confronted with the evidence, confessed to shooting the victim but refused to provide further details, stating he would only speak in court. He was charged with intentional homicide. Authorities believe at least one accomplice was involved and will continue investigating.