'Aem Cyanide' Acquitted in Fifth Murder Case

Convicted poisoner Sararat "Aem Cyanide" Rangsiwuthaporn, 39, was acquitted on Tuesday morning in her fifth murder trial, as the Criminal Court found that prosecutors failed to present sufficient evidence to prove she poisoned a vegetable vendor with cyanide. Prosecutors had charged Sararat with premeditated murder, alleging she mixed cyanide into a salad given to Rosjarin "Phi Noi" Nilnoi, motivated by a 60,000-baht debt. However, the court noted that while the victim's physician testified to severe metabolic acidosis in the victim's blood, the doctor could not confirm cyanide as the poison or how it was administered. The court also questioned the reliability of testimony from a deceased victim's employee, who claimed to have seen Sararat deliver the salad but could not answer defence questions regarding the defendant's vehicle make, despite claiming to recognize it. Furthermore, the court rejected the prosecution's argument that a 60,000-baht debt provided a convincing motive, citing evidence that the victim had pawned her car to Sararat and had already repaid part of the loan. Sararat has been convicted in multiple previous murder cases, with some sentences including the death penalty commuted to life imprisonment. In the first case, she was sentenced to death for the murder of Siriporn "Koi" Khanwong. In the second, involving Pol Maj Nipa Sangchan, the death penalty was commuted to life imprisonment. In the third case, concerning engineer Nittaya Kaewbuppha, Sararat was acquitted due to insufficient evidence. In the fourth case, involving Pol Capt Sukanda Wimonmal, she was sentenced to death, later reduced to life imprisonment. Investigators suspect Sararat administered potassium cyanide to 14 individuals between 2015 and 2023, allegedly to avoid debts or steal valuables. They linked the serial cyanide killer to heavy online gambling, large bank transactions and attempts to hide evidence. The Kanchanaburi native was arrested on April 25, 2023, while pregnant. Police concluded their investigation into her criminal cases in June 2023, around the time she miscarried. Information Source: Bangkok Post