Court Dismisses Murder Charge Against Am Cyanide

A criminal court dismissed charges against Sararat, known as Am Cyanide, in the death of a vegetable vendor, finding that evidence failed to establish a link to the crime. This is the fifth case from a series of shocking cyanide poisoning deaths.

On July 21, 2025, at the Criminal Court on Ratchadaphisek Road, the court heard arguments in case number Or.857/2568, where prosecutors accused 39-year-old Sararat of premeditated murder. The prosecution alleged that the defendant poisoned the victim's food with cyanide, intending to kill vegetable seller Rosjarintr, known as Phi Noi, to settle a 60,000-baht debt and compel the victim's husband to repay a higher amount. According to the prosecution, the defendant mixed cyanide into a vegetable salad, which the victim consumed before collapsing and dying at a hospital. The defendant denied the allegations.

The court determined that although multiple deaths had been linked to cyanide poisoning during March 2023, the medical evidence lacked weight. The attending physician testified that the victim's blood showed severe acidosis from infection or poisoning, but could not confirm cyanide specifically or rule out other sources. The witness could not determine whether the poison entered the body through the victim's own actions or another method. A store employee testified to seeing the defendant bring a vegetable salad to the victim, though the witness could not accurately describe the defendant's vehicle or answer cross-examination questions about the defendant's car model, undermining credibility.

Regarding the alleged motive of a 60,000-baht debt, the court found contradictions in the evidence. Records showed the victim had pawned a vehicle to the defendant for 100,000 baht and had already repaid 50,000 baht. After the victim's death, the defendant initially claimed the victim's husband owed 600,000 baht in vehicle pawn fees, later negotiating down to 300,000 baht, which the husband paid in full to recover the vehicle. The court ruled that the prosecution's evidence failed to establish a sufficient motive for the alleged crime.

The court concluded that the prosecution's evidence did not establish a coherent link proving the defendant committed the alleged offense and dismissed the charges.

Reporters noted that this case follows four previously adjudicated Am Cyanide murder cases: Case 1 resulted in a death sentence for the poisoning death of Siriphorn (Koi) near a waterway in Ban Pong District, Ratchaburi Province. Case 2 involved the death of female police officer Nipha (Sarawat Poo); the court sentenced the defendant to death, later reduced to life imprisonment based on cooperation with authorities. Case 3 concerned the death of engineer Nitya in Nakhon Pathom Province; the court dismissed charges due to insufficient evidence of cyanide possession or intent for gain. Case 4 involved the death of Lieutenant Colonel Sukanda (Pong Noi), a former assistant finance sergeant at Phu Phra Man Police Station in Khon Kaen Province, poisoned through a beverage; the court sentenced the defendant to death, later reduced, and Sararat remains imprisoned for life.