British Woman Held In Death Of Cannabis Farm Owner Husband
A 34-year-old British cannabis farm owner was found stabbed to death in his Chon Buri rental home, and police have detained his 21-year-old British wife after her self-infliction claim raised serious doubts about the circumstances.
On July 2, Deputy Inspector Siriyaporn Kongpetchsak of Nong Prue Police Station in Chon Buri received a report of a foreign man with stab wounds found dead in a rental home in Moo 4, Nong Prue Subdistrict, Bang Lamung District. Officers, forensic teams, Pattaya tourism police, and rescue workers responded to the upscale single-story community.
Inside the bathroom of a bedroom, they discovered the body of a 34-year-old British man, a cannabis farm businessman in Bang Lamung. He lay on his back with a stab wound below his left chest, placed on bedding with a pillow and covered by a gray towel. Blood saturated the bedding. He had been dead at least six hours.
The victim's 21-year-old British wife sat crying near the body, appearing intoxicated from cannabis with cuts on her fingertips. She claimed her husband had stabbed himself. She said she suffered from depression and severe anxiety.
Investigators found a 50-centimeter spatula knife in the kitchen sink, thoroughly washed of blood. Blood traces scattered throughout the home. A British friend reported that the victim's cannabis business partner, based in the United States, called warning him something bad might have happened. Upon arriving and recording video evidence, the friend found the wife sitting with her husband's body, speaking incoherently and claiming self-infliction. He immediately called police.
Neighbors reported the couple had rented the house only two weeks prior. They frequently heard the two arguing. Around 4 a.m. the previous night, dogs barked loudly. At 2 a.m., someone brought dog food but no one answered. The morning's arrival of the victim's friend preceded discovery of the body.
Police learned the man rented the home for 85,000 baht monthly and operated a large cannabis farm in Bang Lamung Soi 14. Officers detained the wife for detailed questioning and ordered fingerprint and DNA analysis. Police expressed doubt in her statement, noting inconsistencies: if he self-inflicted the wound, why didn't she immediately call for help or notify police? Why was his body moved to the bathroom? Blood trail evidence and her cannabis intoxication raise further questions. Investigators are reviewing CCTV footage to determine the actual cause.
