In a tragic and brutal incident that has left a community in shock, a 28-year-old man fatally stabbed his former father-in-law in what authorities believe was an act of vengeance over a rejected reconciliation attempt. The suspect, identified as PhanuPhong Thararam — also known by his nickname “Toad” — carried out the fatal attack at a residence in the Huay Yai subdistrict of Banglamung district in the early hours of July 30.
Lieutenant Sittisak Thonsawad, deputy chief of Huay Yai Police Station, received the emergency call reporting a violent assault at a house on Soi Huay Yai 15. Responding to the scene were Colonel Atthaphon Itthayophasakul, several patrol officers, and volunteers from the Sawang Boriboon Thammasathan Pattaya Rescue Unit.
Inside a bedroom of the single-story home, first responders discovered the lifeless body of 54-year-old Siwapong Boonprasert, a construction contractor. He had been stabbed in the chest with a 15-centimeter kitchen knife that had pierced his heart. Siwapong’s wife, Rien Boonprasert, 53, and their young grandson were present in the room at the time and were left deeply traumatized.
The assailant, PhanuPhong — who works as a pool maintenance technician — fled the scene on a motorcycle before police could arrive. Investigators quickly learned that PhanuPhong had recently separated from the victim’s daughter, Ms. Anchalee Charoenying, 31. Tensions from the breakup are believed to have sparked the deadly confrontation.
In a statement to The Pattaya News, Mrs. Rien Boonprasert recalled the horrifying moment the attack occurred. “He walked in, stabbed my husband, and calmly walked away,” she said. She emphasized that Siwapong had no recent quarrels with PhanuPhong and speculated that her husband may have been killed because of PhanuPhong’s anger over being rejected by his daughter.
An additional knife was found in Anchalee’s bedroom, leading police to believe she may have also been a target. Fortunately, she was not home during the attack.
Anchalee later told reporters that she had ended her one-year relationship with PhanuPhong about a month prior due to his drug use and increasingly unstable behavior. She suspected he had been under the influence at the time of the murder. According to her, this wasn’t the first time PhanuPhong had tried to break into the home following their separation.
CCTV footage from a neighboring property, timestamped at 4:09 AM, showed PhanuPhong arriving on a motorcycle, parking near the alley, and entering the house. Within three minutes, screams were heard. The suspect was then seen fleeing the area.
By 6:00 AM, police located PhanuPhong in a rented room in the Nong Prue subdistrict, where he had been staying with his mother, Ms. Sunan Thararam, 43. Upon arrest, PhanuPhong appeared visibly shaken and remorseful. He reportedly confessed to the crime and admitted his actions were driven by emotional turmoil.
Police had to intervene as distraught family members of the victim attempted to assault him before he was taken into custody. Officers safely transported him to Huay Yai Police Station for questioning.
PhanuPhong is now facing murder charges and remains in police custody as legal proceedings begin.
