THE former wife of a Thai man punched to death by a Swiss man in Udon Thani province last Sunday (Oct. 3) said she does not believe her former husband would break into the latter’s house and try to rob him because he had just sold one rai of land and had 290,000 baht in cash with him but this money is now missing, Sanook.com said this evening (Oct. 5).
Mr. Sathien Chantharakhantri, 53, was punched to death by Mr Rudolph Joseph, 63, from Switzerland, in the kitchen of his single-storey cement house in Kut Sa sub-district, Mueang district. He said he did not intend to kill him but he had climbed over the cement fence and brandished a pistol as he demanded money.
He added that he fought Sathien and later tied his hands and legs to prevent him from attacking him again but when the village headman came they found him dead. Joseph waited for police at his home and surrendered when they arrived.
However Sathien’s ex-wife, Ms Nuthian Wisetlert who came to Udon Thani from Chiang Rai to attend her former husband’s funeral, disputes this account of the events saying on the day he died he had 290,000 baht with him from the sale of one rai land plot and that is why he would not try to rob Joseph and his wife Lak.
She added that on that day Lak had called him to meet her and it was not true that he was an acquaintance of Lak’s because the family knew he was secretly dating her.
Read earlier report: Swiss man faces charges after punching robber to death
She also said that she had been married to Sathien for 30 years and they had two children. However they divorced in February this year after she would not agree to Sathien taking Joseph’s wife, Lak, as his second wife. She had told him to choose and he had chosen Lak.
Nuthian maintained that it is not true what Lak had told police that Sathien was just an acquaintance she had met while drinking with friends as the two of them had been dating for many years with Sathien’s mother and all the relatives knowing about their relationship.
She pointed out there is a trail to his death because the 290,000 baht is missing.
Sathien’s nephew Mr. Thanapattana, 31, also does not believe his uncle would go and rob Joseph and Lak because he had been in a secret relationship with the latter and everyone knew about it.
He said on that day Lak had called his uncle to go over to their house for a party and he did so taking the 290,000 baht cash with him.
The autopsy result states that Sathien had died from a torn liver after being hit with a solid object, he added.
Reporters later went to Joseph’s and Lak’s house and saw the former walking around within. When he saw the reporters he waved them away and refused to give an interview.
CAPTION
Sathien’s former wife Nuthian and his relatives and Joseph reenacting the killing. Photos: Sanook.com
