The family believes that the suspect who hit and killed two Thai students is only presumed to have a mental illness and suspects he will use this as a defense to reduce his sentence due to intoxication, given his extensive history of offenses including probation violations.
According to foreign news reports, a tragic incident occurred involving two Thai nationals at 21:10 on 17 March, when 42-year-old American Edan Negron-Morris drove without headlights and struck two Thai pedestrians, killing them before fleeing the scene. The victims were Greatgomon Laowatdhanasapya, a 23-year-old Thai man, and Sarisa Kongduang, a 22-year-old Thai female student, both traveling during spring break.
Subsequently, police arrested the suspect in the same area and charged him with two counts of reckless driving causing death and two counts of hit-and-run involving fatalities, as previously reported.
:Regarding this matter, Mr. Payu Nuangjamnong, deputy spokesperson of the Pheu Thai Party, posted a statement clarifying that as Thai media began reporting on the tragic event of two Thai students killed by a car in Florida, USA, on 18 March, some details were inaccurate. The family of one of the victims, whom he personally knows, requested clarification and further explanation as follows.
The suspect, Edan, who drove the vehicle that struck the two students crossing the street, had come to the US to study and graduate from Indiana University together. They had traveled to Miami before the fatal incident caused by Edan, who has been arrested. However, reports claiming the suspect is mentally ill rather than merely intoxicated are inaccurate.
The information about Edan's “mental condition” is merely a presumption by local officials and media, as he told police he intended to “end his own life” by driving. It is believed the suspect plans to use alleged mental instability as a defense to reduce punishment for driving under the influence and running a red light, killing the two victims before attempting to flee and ultimately being caught. He has a lengthy criminal record including probation violations.
The victims’ families thank the media for reporting this case to prevent it from being forgotten due to occurring abroad and seek justice for the two victims. However, they request that inaccurate content not be presented in ways that could indirectly lessen the suspect’s punishment by justifying a mental illness defense, especially when he has a significant criminal history.
Finally, I express my condolences again to both families and thank the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for coordinating with the Thai consulate in the US since the incident. We hope the responsible agencies will continue to pursue justice and protect the rights of both victims’ families going forward.
Reference from Facebook Payu Nuangjamnong, image source: nypost.com