Somkhid Phumphuang

Background

Somkhid Phumphuang was sentenced to death on March 2, 2010. He was described as having “a rampanat libido” in police files. He was from Nakhon Si Thammarat and had a Prathom-2 education. He was raised by his uncle after the early death of his parents, and he was described as a delinquent child dismissed from school for stealing.

Somkhid had led a life of crime after being thrown out of school for theft. After school, he was found work in a wood factory by his uncle, but was sacked for stealing Bt50,000. He had also been involved in drug and arms trading in Esarn and the Northeast. Police described him as difficult to trace because he traveled by mingling with big crowds on public transport and favored staying in large hotels on his itinerant travels.

Somkhid also used multiple aliases, including Daeng Phumpuang, Suwat Chanarong, Suchart Kingkaew, and Narong Nilnet.

The offence

Somkhid was accused and convicted in connection with the murders of multiple women, described as masseuses and sex workers.

In Lampang Province, he strangled a traditional massage lady, Miss Pongpan Sabchai, in a hotel room. After strangling the woman, Somkhid stole her gold ring, mobile phone and gold earring, with an approximate value of Bt5,000. The victim had apparently been 2-months pregnant at the time of her death.

The death sentence for the murder of Miss Pongpan Sabchai on a March 2, 2010 trial followed earlier life sentence outcomes that were later transmuted from a death sentence at his first trial.

Earlier killings referenced in the case narrative included the drowning of Warunee Pimpabutr, a cabaret singer, and other masseuses found strangled or drowned in hotel rooms, as well as a sex worker found dead in a hotel room. The narrative stated that Somkhid worked from hotel rooms and strangled his victims, and that he used a similar modus operandi in multiple cases.

Investigation

Police launched and coordinated manhunts after murders were linked to Somkhid.

After the nude body of strangled sex worker Sompong Pimpornpirom, 36, was found in a Buri Ram hotel room on June 21, investigators described certain aspects of the crime suggesting a serial killer was on the loose. Investigators singled out Somkid after checking a series of murders beginning with the death of a cabaret singer in Mukdahan on January 30.

Latent fingerprints taken from the side of a beer glass found near Sompong’s dead body in the Buri Ram apartment were matched with Somkid’s fingerprints from police records.

Crime Suppression Division commander Maj-General Winai Thongsong ordered Crime Suppression police to cooperate with local police in combing the Northeast. Searches were conducted, including a house search in Khon Kaen where no trace of the fugitive was found.

Provincial hotels had been warned to watch for Somkid, and the suspect’s picture had been sent to police stations throughout the Kingdom. Lt-Colonel Chokchai Chusaeng, an inspector in Lampang’s Muang district, said police were working closely together.

Arrest

Somkhid was arrested after police manhunts. Police had been closing in on the suspect, and cooperation between Crime Suppression Division and local police meant they were within a few days of catching him. Somkid’s location was described in connection with a manhunt, and he was arrested at a house in Chaiyaphum’s Muang district where he had been hiding for the past week.

Somkhid also claimed he traveled by train to commit murders in Mukdahan, Lampang, Udon Thani and Buri Ram. When crimes hit the headlines earlier, he hid at his girlfriend’s home.

Trial

The narrative described three trials and multiple outcomes.

Somkhid had an initial death sentence for killing Warunee Pimpabutr in January 2005, which was later commuted to life imprisonment. The commutation was described as citing his confession during police investigation and trial. It was also described that during his time in jail serving his first sentence, he pled guilty and returned some of his ill-gotten gains to the family of his victim, after which a further death sentence outcome was transmuted to life imprisonment.

Somkhid later went through a third trial for murder that appeared before the courts on March 2, 2010.

Pongpan Sabchai case (trial culminating on March 2, 2010)

The evidence for the third trial included testimony that a friend of the victim witnessed her sitting with the offender, and that the friend later told her that Somkhid was paying her Bt5,000 for staying with him for 3 days and 2 nights. A room service waiter positively identified Somkhid as having shared food with the victim.

Somkhid pleaded that police had tried to discredit him. The judge handed down the final verdict of death on March 2, 2010, with no chance of appeal.

A narrative also included that earlier trials had shown leniency, but the process had been long-winded.

Warunee Pimpabutr (2005 matter referenced)

Court documents indicated Somkhid took Warunee to room 609 of the Ploy Palace Hotel in Mukdahan on January 30, 2005, where they argued over her service fee. Warunee was drowned in the bathtub, and Somkhid absconded with her valuables.

Warunee, 25, was described as the youngest victim, with the other four victims described as in their late 30s.

Sentencing

Somkhid was sentenced to death on March 2, 2010 for the murder of Miss Pongpan Sabchai, a traditional massage lady, in a hotel room in Lampang Province.

It was stated that the death sentence handed down at his first trial was transmuted to life imprisonment. This outcome was described as happening again, and it was also stated that at one point Somkhid pled guilty and returned some of his ill-gotten gains to the family of his victim.

Appeals

The March 2, 2010 death verdict was described as having no chance of appeal.

After a life sentence in 2009 for the first victim’s death, it was stated that Somkid’s lawyer said the life sentence would be appealed.

Outcome

Somkhid’s final verdict on March 2, 2010 was death.

In the earlier 2005 killing spree narrative, Somkid remained in court custody awaiting four other trials for alleged murders of four other victims over a six-month period after receiving a life sentence.

Other details

Somkhid told reporters after his arrest:

“I killed them out of anger because sometimes they overcharged and double-charged me after I had sex with them,” he told reporters calmly, according to Associated Press.

“I spent the money that I robbed from them to buy more sex from prostitutes.”

Crime Suppression Division commander Maj-General Winai Thongsong said:

“He appears cognisant, but we need the advice of the experts,”

It was also said that police expected to catch Somkid soon, with Crime Suppression Division deputy commander Police Colonel Phisit Phusutthisak saying:

“The fifth victim was found in Trang province,”

Somkhid’s uncle, Kling Kingkaew, said:

“I will not be sad if he is executed. I would also like to thank the police for arresting him. The arrest will ensure that he won’t be able to kill any more people,”

Somkhid was arrested in 2001 for giving false testimony about the murder of a provincial governor, for which he served a six month jail term.

Police said Somkid faced numerous charges of murder and theft and was in detention pending an investigation and assessment of his psychological state. Police expressed doubts about his motives.

Somkhid claimed he killed his victims over disputes about the women’s service fees, and the narrative also stated that arguments over fees were described as the alleged motive for the killings.

Somkid’s appeal preference was described as he told reporters he would prefer the death sentence to spending time in jail for his wrongdoings.

The case narrative referenced these victims and dates:

• Warunee Pimpabutr, 25, a cabaret singer, was found drowned in a hotel room bathtub; the hotel’s check-in register showed Somkid had rented the room, and witnesses positively identified him from a police photograph; the narrative stated the murder was on January 30, 2004 (also referenced as January 2005 for the Criminal Court originally sentencing matter).
• Pongpan Sabchai, Miss Pongpan Sabchai, 34-year-old masseuse, was found strangled in a Lampang hotel room; the narrative referenced June 4.
• Patcharee Amatanirand, 39, another traditional Thai masseuse, was found strangled in a room of the Caesar Hotel; the narrative referenced June 11; she had arrived with a man who checked in under the name of Narong Nilnet.
• Porntawan Pangkabutr, 37-year-old masseuse, was found drowned in a hotel room bath in Udon Thani; the narrative referenced June 19; hotel security video system footage and eyewitnesses revealed Somkhid’s involvement.
• Sompong Pimpornpirom, 36, a sex worker, was found dead in a Buri Ram hotel room; the narrative referenced June 21; fingerprints on a beer glass were matched to Somkhid’s fingerprints.
• Patcharee Amatanirand was named again as being the fifth victim connected to the serial killer on June 11, and the narrative also stated a fifth victim found in Trang province in connection with that manhunt.

The narrative also stated that Somkhid framed a local businessman, giving false testimony in court, which resulted in the businessman being jailed for six years. The businessman announced he would shoot Somkhid when he was freed.

It was stated that the victim’s swore to kill Somkhid in revenge when he was released. The narrative described Somkhid as serving a four-year jail sentence for robbery and being released in 1988, and described his uncle’s account that Somkhid had not been home for 30 years.