35-year-old Warut Datephumee was recently arrested in the Thai district of Phang Khon for the murder of his father and sister; 68-year-old Prayat Datephumee and 33-year-old Piangpen Datephumee. He felt justified in committing the murders as his dad had threatened to cut him out of the family’s inheritance many times.
According to Thaiger, his father and sister were found dead in custom-made metal boxes in Nong Lum Hin pond. Locals noticed the boxes around midnight and grew suspicious, alerting the police. As Warut was found acting “erratically” near the scene, he was detained by police for further investigation.
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Initially, he insisted he had nothing to do with the crime and feigned ignorance. However, locals had reported seeing an SUV parked near where the boxes were found the night before. They also heard what sounded like a heated argument.
With these pieces of evidence against him, Warut confessed to his crimes after a lengthy interrogation. He admitted to ordering two metal boxes to trap his father and sister in from a local factory. He claimed he was using the boxes for a Youtube series of his on fishing.
He even went so far as to request wheels be added to the base of the boxes so that they could be moved easily and he would not be hindered during the murder. The boxes costed a total of ฿1200, which is equivalent to approximately $458 SGD.
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Once the boxes were ready, he lured his father and sister to the pond by telling them he planned to start a fish farm there. After that, he convinced them to get into the boxes by claiming it was a new, innovative bed design that allowed the sheets to become fluffy when they made contact with body temperature.
Once they were inside, he sealed the boxes with thick chains and brought them to the pond before cruelly pushing them in. The autopsy report showed that both parties were still alive before they hit the water, leaving their cause of death as drowning.
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Warut underwent a psychological evaluation which came up clean, declaring that he was free of mental illnesses and no drugs or other illicit substances were found in his system. Warut says he understood exactly what he was doing and had been planning it for a while. He told police he committed the crime alone.
He and his father had regularly argued since the end of 2023, with each tiff ending in threats to cut Warut out of the inheritance. Though Warut sought support from his sister, she would always side with their father. Fed up with their behaviour regarding the inheritance he believed he was entitled to, he began to plan out their murders.
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According to the Thai Examiner, Warut’s mother recently died a few months ago, heightening family tensions.
He will face the death penalty under Section 289 of the Thai Penal Code for the premeditated murder of a parent.
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