KHON KAEN: A Canadian man and his Thai wife were stabbed to death by a neighbour who rented a house next door in Muang district of this northeastern province in the small hours on Friday.
Pol Col Chaiwanich Kamkamool, deputy chief investigator at Ban Pet police station, said the incident occurred at about half past midnight at house No. 380 in Moo 10 village in tambon Ban Thum.
Police, forensic officials and rescue workers rushed to the house after being informed of the incident.
Upon their arrival, they discovered Michael Nixon, 54, and his Thai wife Anurak, 47, lying dead in front of their two-storey house. Kachornsak Panyadee, 36, a roti sai mai (cotton candy roti) vendor from Chaiyaphum’s Ban Thaen district and the tenant of the neighbouring house, surrendered to the police with a one-foot-long sharp-pointed knife, admitting to stabbing the couple to death.
Kachornsak Panyadee, a roti sai mai (cotton candy roti) vendor, whose face is blurred, surrenders to police and admits to stabbing the couple to death. (Photo: Chakrapan Natanri)
The Canadian man sustained three stab wounds in the left and right chests and the abdomen, while his wife was stabbed in the abdomen.
Pol Col Preecha Kengsarikij, a Khon Kaen deputy police chief, said an investigation revealed that Mr Kachornsak and the couple had frequently squabbled over parking. Mr Kachornsak said the front of his house had frequently been blocked by motorcycles and cars of people who visited the couple at night.
On Thursday night, the same parking issue arose when the couple received several foreign guests. Mr Kachornsak waited until after midnight when the guests departed. Holding the knife, he walked to the couple’s house, knocked on the door, and when the wife answered, he stabbed her. When the Canadian man rushed to help his wife, he was stabbed three times.
Mr Kachornsak was taken to the police station and charged with murder.
Pol Col Preecha said investigators would question the man further to determine the motive behind the killings and complete an investigation report for the prosecutors.
Police cordon off the house where the Canadian man and his Thai wife were killed by their neigbhour in Muang district, Khon Kaen province. (Photo: Chakrapan Natanri)