Serial poisoner “Am Cyanide” receives her fourth death sentence for murdering creditor Fah over ฿260,000. Judges followed LINE messages, medical evidence and gambling-linked accounts, as eight of 15 prosecution cases remain unresolved in the courts.
Thailand’s “Am Cyanide” has been sentenced to death for the fourth time after murdering a creditor with potassium cyanide. Sararat Rangsiwuthaporn killed Darinee Thepthawee to erase ฿260,000 in claims while carrying debts worth millions, the court ruled. Medical evidence, Line messages and financial records exposed the planned poisoning despite no eyewitness seeing the poison administered. Seven of 15 cases have now been decided, involving 14 deaths, one survivor and eight verdicts still to come.
The Criminal Court sentenced Ms. Sararat, known as “Am Cyanide”, to death on Tuesday for poisoning a creditor. The ruling was her fourth death sentence across seven completed cases. Prosecutors said she killed Darinee Thepthawee, known as Fah, to erase debts from a loan and pyramid scheme. Eight further cases remain before the courts.
Judges delivered the verdict at the Criminal Court on Ratchadaphisek Road on August 25. Sararat, 39, had pleaded not guilty. Nevertheless, the court accepted the prosecution’s medical, financial, digital and circumstantial evidence. It found that she deliberately poisoned Darinee with potassium cyanide on December 13, 2020.
Prosecutors charged Sararat with premeditated murder and murder committed to secure benefits from another crime. Separately, they accused her of killing to conceal another offence or avoid punishment. A further charge covered adulterating food, medicine or consumer products and thereby causing death. The court applied the offence carrying the heaviest punishment and imposed the death penalty.
Debt, gambling accounts and a market invitation supplied the motive and setting for Darinee’s murder
Darinee, 34, had known Sararat since 2014. Sararat had also visited Darinee and her husband at their home many times. Over time, their friendship became tied to several financial arrangements. Those transactions later supplied the motive accepted by the court.
Sararat borrowed ฿60,000 from Darinee but never repaid it. In addition, she persuaded Darinee to participate in three informal lending schemes. The schemes promised combined returns of approximately ฿200,000. Darinee died before receiving those returns.
Meanwhile, Sararat faced substantial debts to other creditors. Investigators found several bank accounts connected with online gambling websites. Moreover, her accumulated debts ran into millions of baht. Judges concluded that she lacked the money to meet Darinee’s claims.
Against that background, the court found that Darinee’s death removed several pressing obligations. It eliminated the unpaid ฿60,000 loan and stopped demands for the promised returns. Accordingly, judges accepted financial pressure as the motive. They also found that Sararat carefully prepared the killing.
The fatal sequence began on December 12, 2020. That evening, Sararat sent Darinee a message through the Line application. She said she would visit Samphran market the next morning. She also invited Darinee to eat Hainanese chicken rice with her.
Darinee collapsed with convulsions and breathing problems before doctors pronounced her dead
The two women met as arranged on December 13. Soon afterwards, Darinee returned home and told her husband that she felt unwell. She suffered chest tightness and serious breathing difficulties. Within minutes, her condition deteriorated.
Darinee called for her husband, who was upstairs. When he came downstairs, he found her unconscious on the floor. Notably, she also suffered seizures and convulsions. Foam or saliva appeared around her mouth as she lost consciousness.
In response, her husband immediately called an ambulance. Emergency personnel arrived approximately ten minutes later and began cardiopulmonary resuscitation. They also used a defibrillator during attempts to restart her heart. Despite those efforts, Darinee did not respond.
Paramedics continued trying to revive her for approximately 30 minutes. Afterwards, they transported her to Sam Phran Hospital. Doctors there pronounced her dead. The hospital then transferred her body to Siriraj Hospital for an autopsy.
At first, an external examination found no wounds or visible injuries. The internal examination, however, uncovered several serious abnormalities. Doctors found changes inside the left ventricle of Darinee’s heart. They also discovered petechiae, or small haemorrhages, in her lungs.
Specialists linked organ damage and oxygen deprivation to cyanide after reviewing Darinee’s symptoms
Beyond that, the autopsy identified fatty changes in Darinee’s liver. Taken together, the findings showed that her organs had suffered oxygen deprivation. Medical witnesses said several conditions could produce such damage. Those included heart muscle problems, abnormal alkaline electrolyte levels or poisoning.
Cyanide testing presented a further complication. Routine examinations do not automatically identify the chemical. Instead, detecting cyanide requires a specialised procedure. Doctors therefore reviewed the autopsy findings alongside Darinee’s Sam Phran Hospital records.
As part of that assessment, they considered the symptoms reported by Darinee’s husband. These included chest tightness, breathing problems, convulsions and rapid unconsciousness. He also described foam or saliva around her mouth. Crucially, those symptoms matched the medical evidence concerning poisoning and oxygen deprivation.
Toxicology and forensic specialists later testified about the internal organ damage. They had conducted detailed examinations and had no previous dispute with Sararat. For that reason, the court considered their evidence independent and credible. Their findings also remained consistent with the husband’s account.
In particular, doctors identified oxygen deprivation affecting Darinee’s heart, lungs and liver. The abnormalities supported cyanide poisoning as the cause of her sudden collapse. Equally important, her symptoms developed soon after she separated from Sararat. The timing became a central part of the prosecution’s case.
Court rejects eyewitness argument as messages, medical findings and debts form complete evidence chain
Sararat remained close to Darinee during the period when cyanide would have taken effect. After leaving her, Darinee returned home and became critically ill. She then suffered convulsions, foaming and breathing difficulties before collapsing. On that basis, judges found that Sararat administered the poison before they parted.
The poison could have been concealed inside food or a drink. No witness directly saw Sararat add cyanide to anything Darinee consumed. The defence relied heavily on that absence of eyewitness evidence. Even so, the court rejected the argument.
Judges found that the poisoning was planned and secretly executed. As a result, Sararat would not have administered cyanide where others could observe her. The court instead considered the complete chain of circumstantial evidence. That chain covered communications, movements, medical findings and financial records.
Each category reinforced the others. The medical findings established poisoning and widespread oxygen deprivation. In parallel, Line messages established the planned market meeting. Darinee’s husband then confirmed her rapid decline after she returned home.
Financial records added another layer. They showed Sararat’s unpaid loan, promised returns and wider debts. Furthermore, investigators identified multiple bank accounts connected with online gambling websites. The records placed her liabilities at millions of baht.
Husband’s evidence and Line message place Sararat with Darinee shortly before her fatal collapse
The husband’s testimony also established the relationship between the women. He said Sararat had known Darinee since 2014 and regularly visited their home. On the day concerned, he understood that Darinee planned to visit the market with Sararat. Shortly after that meeting, Darinee returned home in acute distress.
Once Darinee collapsed, her husband tried to contact Sararat. He could not reach her. Instead, he telephoned Darinee’s elder sister. The sister later contacted Sararat through Facebook chat.
Subsequently, the family found Sararat’s Line message from the previous evening. It confirmed the planned trip to Samphran market. Specifically, Sararat mentioned eating Hainanese chicken rice on December 13. The message placed her with Darinee shortly before the fatal symptoms appeared.
The court examined that communication against the medical timeline. At the same time, it considered Sararat’s failure to repay Darinee. The planned meeting provided an opportunity to administer cyanide. Her severe financial problems supplied the motive.
Medical evidence then connected the opportunity with Darinee’s death. The attending doctor at Sam Phran Hospital reviewed the emergency treatment records. A Siriraj Hospital forensic pathologist conducted the post-mortem examination. Toxicology witnesses assessed the internal abnormalities and poisoning evidence.
Collectively, their evidence identified severe oxygen deprivation. Damage appeared in Darinee’s heart tissue, lungs and liver. Her witnessed symptoms closely matched those findings. Thus, the court accepted cyanide poisoning as the cause of death.
Prosecutors say Sararat killed Darinee to erase ฿260,000 in claims amid debts running into millions
The prosecution next linked the death with Sararat’s financial position. She owed Darinee ฿60,000 from an unpaid loan. Besides that, she had promised approximately ฿200,000 through three informal lending schemes. Those debts remained outstanding when Darinee died.
On another front, investigators examined Sararat’s broader finances. They found debts totalling millions of baht and accounts linked to online gambling. The evidence showed that she could not repay her creditors. Killing Darinee therefore removed immediate demands for money.
Judges accepted that reasoning. They found that Sararat intended to eliminate Darinee as a creditor. Her death prevented recovery of both the loan and promised returns. The court ruled that the murder was deliberate rather than accidental.
The defence challenged the absence of direct proof showing cyanide entering Darinee’s food or drink. Yet the court found that such direct evidence was unnecessary. The surrounding facts created a consistent sequence. No single element stood alone.
First, Sararat arranged the market meeting. Next, Darinee spent time with her and returned home unwell. Moments later, Darinee suffered symptoms consistent with cyanide poisoning. Finally, the autopsy found organ damage caused by severe oxygen deprivation.
Court finds motive, method and opportunity before imposing Sararat’s fourth sentence of death in court
Alongside this, Sararat faced unpaid debts to Darinee. She also carried millions of baht in wider liabilities. The court found that these facts established motive, method and opportunity. The prosecution’s evidence therefore left no reasonable doubt.
By comparison, the defence evidence lacked sufficient weight to rebut the prosecution’s case. Judges found Sararat guilty on the charges. Her conduct constituted a single act breaching several criminal provisions. Under those circumstances, the court applied the law carrying the most severe penalty.
The final conviction covered premeditated murder committed to obtain or retain criminal benefits. It also covered murder intended to conceal other offences or prevent punishment. Following that finding, judges sentenced Sararat to death. The ruling became the fourth death sentence imposed upon her.
Prosecutors have filed 15 cases against Sararat. Fourteen concern murder, while one concerns attempted murder. So far, courts have completed seven cases. The outcomes include two death sentences, two life terms and three acquittals.
The two life sentences had originally been death penalties. Courts later commuted those sentences to life imprisonment. Conversely, three cases ended without convictions. The most recent acquittal came on August 4.
Eight cases remain as 15 poisonings across seven provinces leave 14 people dead and one survivor
Tuesday’s decision leaves eight prosecution cases unresolved. Every case concerns a separate victim and requires an individual judgement. Consequently, courts have examined different medical records, witnesses and financial relationships. The outcomes have varied according to the evidence in each file.
Overall, the prosecution cases concern 15 poisonings across seven provinces. The incidents occurred between 2015 and 2023. Fourteen people died, while one person survived. Investigators said money motivated the poisonings.
A recurring pattern emerged during the police inquiry. Each victim had reportedly spent time with Sararat shortly before becoming critically ill. Many also had financial relationships with her. These included unpaid loans, lending arrangements and other debts.
The wider case surfaced after Siriporn Khanwong died in Ratchaburi on April 14, 2023. Siriporn and Sararat were friends. That day, they travelled together to the Mae Klong River. Their purpose was to release fish during a merit-making activity.
While beside the river, Siriporn suddenly collapsed and died. Investigators later detected cyanide inside her body. Sararat did not attempt to rescue her. Instead, she drove away with Siriporn’s belongings and cash.
Police trace 15 poisonings back to 2015 after Siriporn’s cyanide death exposes financial connections
Following that death, police began examining other sudden fatalities linked to Sararat. Investigators eventually identified cases stretching back to 2015. The inquiry covered seven provinces and 15 suspected victims. Only one survived.
Further examination revealed repeated financial connections between Sararat and those victims. Police also noted the short periods between meetings and sudden illnesses. These findings widened the investigation beyond Siriporn’s death. Prosecutors ultimately filed 14 murder cases and one attempted murder case.
Police arrested Sararat on April 25, 2023. She was four months pregnant at the time. Later, she miscarried while held in custody. She was also married to a high-ranking police officer when arrested.
The scale of the investigation brought renewed scrutiny of toxic chemical controls. Potassium cyanide became the central substance identified across the prosecution files. Still, each death produced a separate court case. Each judgement has therefore turned on its own evidence.
In Darinee’s case, the court found an unbroken factual sequence. Sararat arranged a private meeting with a creditor she could not repay. Darinee then returned home with acute symptoms and died. Medical evidence pointed to cyanide poisoning.
Financial records and medical timeline show Sararat benefited directly from her creditor’s death
At the same time, the financial records showed a direct benefit from Darinee’s death. Sararat escaped a ฿60,000 loan and claims for approximately ฿200,000. She was already carrying debts of millions of baht. Several accounts were also connected with online gambling websites.
Most significantly, Darinee’s collapse began during the period when cyanide would take effect. She had just separated from Sararat. The court found that Sararat had both access and opportunity. It also found that concealment explained the absence of an eyewitness.
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The prosecution’s case combined the Line invitation, market meeting and medical timeline. It added autopsy findings, toxicology evidence and financial records. Darinee’s husband supplied direct evidence about her symptoms and final movements. Her elder sister helped establish the communications with Sararat.
Ultimately, judges found that every major element supported the same conclusion. Sararat poisoned Darinee to erase her financial obligations. The court convicted her of the offence carrying the maximum available punishment. It then sentenced “Aem Cyanide” to death for the fourth time.
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Further reading:
Am Cyanide sues activist who raised alarm over alleged killing spree. Former lawyer summoned
Am Cyanide touched by the evil of online gambling sites where she lost as much as ฿1 million a day
Police to arrest serial killer suspect’s husband, 10 more charges for gambling addict ‘Am Cyanide’
Thailand’s biggest serial killer suspect legally protected from the death penalty as horror grows
Damning evidence mounts against what police now believe to be a prolific cyanide serial killer
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Sadistic rapist, drug dealer and serial murderer is sentenced to life in prison by Thon Buri court
Death sentence for murderous trio who executed a loving Thai wife and her UK husband in Phrae
93% of Thai people want to see the death penalty put to use to curb shocking murders and drug gangs
