 "Who is ‘Am Cyanide’, Thailand’s woman serial killer sentenced to death for poisoning 14 friends?")
Known as “Am Cyanide” by local media, she is Thailand’s first female serial killer.
On Wednesday, a Thai court sentenced Sararat Rangsiwuthaporn to death for the premeditated murder of one of her alleged 15 victims. She has been accused of poisoning 15 people, with only one surviving.
According to the verdict, Sararat poisoned 32-year-old Siriporn Khanwong with cyanide during a trip in April 2023. The two had travelled to Ratchaburi province for a religious ceremony.
According to Thai public broadcaster PBS, Sararat deliberately poisoned Siriporn, who collapsed and died by a river after releasing fish into the wild - a Buddhist ritual believed to generate good karma.
This incident was the first clue that led police to investigate Sararat’s alleged killing spree. She now faces 13 additional murder charges and one charge of attempted murder.
ALSO READ | Thailand’s luxury hotel murders: The deadly combination of cyanide and crime
Who is ‘Am Cyanide’?
Rangsiwuthaporn, 36, described as an online gambling addict, has been accused of defrauding her victims of thousands of dollars before killing them with cyanide.
Police said that Sararat was linked to unsolved cyanide poisoning cases dating back to 2015. To fund her gambling addiction, she allegedly borrowed money from her victims - amounts as high as 300,000 baht in one instance - before killing them and stealing their valuables, including jewellery and mobile phones, according to AFP.
Following her arrest, Deputy National Police Chief Surachate Hakparn said, “She asked people she knows for money because she has a lot of credit card debt … and if they asked her for their money back, she started killing them.”
Sararat allegedly gave her victims poisoned “herb capsules,” luring 15 people, one of whom survived, according to police. She faces 14 additional murder trials and nearly 80 criminal charges in total.
ALSO READ | Strangled, body stuffed in car boot: How horrific murder of Indian woman by husband unfolded in UK
What the court said
In its judgment, the court said that Sararat saw her friend Siriporn collapse but showed no signs of surprise. Treating her as though they had not been friends, Sararat made no effort to help her. Instead, she returned to her car and left the scene, taking Siriporn’s bag, mobile phone, and other valuables worth 154,630 baht, The Bangkok Post reported.
The court revealed that deadly levels of potassium cyanide were found in Siriporn’s blood, stomach, and liver. Experts believe that the poison was ingested in Sararat’s car before they went to the Mae Klong River.
Evidence showed Sararat’s bank accounts recorded transactions totalling 95 million baht between January 2020 and May 2023, linked to accounts used by online gambling networks, the court found.
The court also discovered her large debts, with heavy gambling losses in 2021 and 2022. During this period, several of her friends died. Police identified Siriporn as her 15th victim.
Sararat’s ex-husband, Withoon Rangsiwuthaporn, 40, a former police station chief in Ratchaburi, and her lawyer, Thanicha Aeksuwannawat, 36, were sentenced to two years in prison for helping conceal Siriporn’s bag. Withoon’s sentence was reduced to one year and four months for providing useful testimony.
Both were released on bail of 100,000 baht each while awaiting appeal. Further, the court ordered Sararat, Withoon, and Thanicha to pay 2.34 million baht in compensation to Siriporn’s family.
All three denied the charges against them
Reacting to the verdict, Siriporn’s mother, Tongpin Kiatchanasiri, said, “The court’s decision is just…I want to tell my daughter that I miss her deeply and justice has been done for her today.”
Tongpin said she could not look at Sararat during the sentencing. Sararat pleaded not guilty to all charges.
What was the motive for the crime?
Simply put, the motive behind Sararat Rangsiwuthaporn’s crimes was robbery, according to police.
Many of her victims had transferred her large sums of money, ranging from five to six figures. Among those suspected to have fallen victim to her was her boyfriend, Sutthisak Phoonkhwan, who died in March 2023.
In most cases, the poison was allegedly mixed into food, and in one instance, it was added to diet pills. Out of all her alleged victims, only one survived.
Sararat was arrested on April 25, 2023, and detained at the Central Women’s Correctional Institution. At the time of her arrest, she was pregnant but miscarried in the fifth or sixth month of her pregnancy in June 2023, around the time police concluded their investigation.
The case has shocked Thailand and comparisons have been made to infamous serial killers such as Charles Sobhraj, who poisoned some of his victims in Thailand and other countries during the 1970s, EFE reported.
Historical parallels have also been drawn to serial poisoners like Belle Gunness in the US, who killed 42 people with arsenic between 1900 and 1908, and Amy Archer-Gilligan, who murdered at least 20 victims using the same poison between 1910 and 1916.
The investigation, led by Pol General Surachate “Big Joke” Hakparn, then deputy police chief, was one of the largest in Thailand’s history. The case file spanned 26,500 pages, included testimony from 900 witnesses, and required three months to gather evidence, Thai newspaper The Nation reported.
The case remains ongoing, with authorities investigating 14 more cases linked to the so-called “Cyanide Killer.”
ALSO READ | Son of Norway’s crown princess arrested on rape suspicion: Who is Marius Borg Hoiby?
Cyanide and its usage in Thailand
Notably, Cyanide deprives the body’s cells of oxygen, potentially leading to heart attacks. Initial symptoms include dizziness, shortness of breath, and vomiting.
In severe cases, it can cause lung damage, coma, and death within seconds. Even small doses are highly toxic.
The use of cyanide in Thailand is strictly controlled, and unauthorised possession can result in up to two years in prison.
 "Russian drones over Poland: Trump’s tepid reaction a wake-up call for Nato?")
 "As Russia pushes east, Ukraine faces mounting pressure to defend its heartland")
 "Why Mossad was not on board with Israel’s strike on Hamas in Qatar")
 "Turkey: Erdogan's police arrest opposition mayor Hasan Mutlu, dozens officials in corruption probe")
 "Russian drones over Poland: Trump’s tepid reaction a wake-up call for Nato?")
 "As Russia pushes east, Ukraine faces mounting pressure to defend its heartland")
 "Why Mossad was not on board with Israel’s strike on Hamas in Qatar")
 "Turkey: Erdogan's police arrest opposition mayor Hasan Mutlu, dozens officials in corruption probe")
