A tragic double death occurred in Nakhon Si Thammarat when a husband shot his wife dead inside their bedroom before killing himself. Their daughter returned home and cried inconsolably. Relatives said the couple had often argued recently over jealousy.
At 19:30 on 16 June 2026, Police Lieutenant Jatsarit Chusuwan from Mueang District Police Station in Nakhon Si Thammarat received a report of a husband shooting his wife dead and then shooting himself, resulting in two deaths at a house in Ruam Nam Jai Alley, Pho Sadet Subdistrict, Mueang District, Nakhon Si Thammarat.
He, along with Police Colonel Kittichai Kainara, Superintendent; Police Lieutenant Colonel Narakorn Eadchuay, Deputy Superintendent of Patrol; Police Lieutenant Colonel Charu Phetpan, Deputy Superintendent of Investigation; Police Lieutenant Colonel Worachet Srimai, Deputy Superintendent of Intelligence; Police Lieutenant Colonel Natthapat Phutthangkuro, Intelligence Officer; Police Lieutenant Colonel Chanyut Suwanrat, Patrol Officer; motorcycle patrol officers, investigation team, on-call doctors from Maharaj Nakhon Si Thammarat Hospital, and staff from Tai Tek Tung Foundation went to the scene to investigate, conduct autopsies, and question witnesses.
Inside the bedroom, two bodies were found. The first, lying face-up near the bed, was Ms. Salinthip Sakkoet, 36, wearing gray shorts and a short-sleeved brown T-shirt. She had a shotgun wound to her left hand with the bullet passing through, and a perforated chest wound from one shotgun pellet. The second body was nearby, seated against the clothes rack at the foot of the bed. It was Mr. Ponpat Phuthornphakdi, 35, with a gunshot wound to the left temple from a 9mm pistol.
At the scene, authorities found a long shotgun on the bed that had been fired once, and a 9mm pistol under the bed at Mr. Ponpat's feet, also fired once. One shotgun shell casing and one 9mm shell casing were recovered and kept as evidence.
Preliminary police interviews with relatives revealed the deceased were husband and wife. Ms. Salinthip had a 20-year-old daughter from a previous relationship who was studying at a university. The couple lived alone in the house. The wife worked as a credit officer at the Nakhon Si Thammarat Provincial Public Health Savings Cooperative, while the husband was employed as a university driver.
They had relatives living nearby in the same alley. Recently, the couple frequently argued over jealousy, which was well known to relatives and neighbors in the alley. However, no one dared intervene, thinking it was a private matter.. Until shortly before the incident, in the evening, Mr. Ponpat drove his personal pickup truck home from work and parked in front of the house in the alley.
Witnesses saw Mr. Ponpat get out of the car carrying a bottle of liquor and water and enter the house. Soon after, relatives and neighbors heard a loud argument, followed by the woman screaming loudly for help. Then, one gunshot was heard, followed shortly by another. When the gunfire ceased, relatives and neighbors went inside and found both had been shot dead.
Police believe that during a violent argument fueled by jealousy, Mr. Ponpat used a shotgun to shoot Ms. Salinthip, who tried to raise her left hand to shield herself.He then pulled the trigger.The bullet passed through her left hand into her chest, killing her. He then used a 9mm pistol, which he had recently purchased as his personal weapon,to shoot himself.This was apparently to escape the consequences of his actions.
Shortly after the incident, the 20-year-old daughter returned home and found her mother and stepfather shot dead. She cried inconsolably as relatives and neighbors comforted her amid deep sorrow. After the authorities completed the autopsies, the bodies were handed over to the family for traditional funeral arrangements.