Cops seek murder spree getaway car
Police are searching for a pickup truck used by a man to get away after he allegedly shot his wife and in-laws dead in Uttaradit on Sunday. Teerapon Pinamon, 37, is accused of fatally shooting his mother-inlaw, Namphueng Kingkaew, and her two elder sisters, Nampha and Kanokwan Inthasit, at a house in Uttaradit’s Pichai district. He then proceeded to go to another house where he allegedly killed his wife, Kanyarat Kingkaew, and his father-in-law, Wirat Kingkaew. Two other people were wounded at the second location. The murders were reported to police around 5.45pm on Sunday, and eyewitnesses identified Mr Teerapon as the shooter. Mr Teerapon made his getaway in a Toyota Camry. Police tried to catch him by tracking his mobile phone signal until 11.30pm, when it suddenly cut out. The car was found at a hotel in Muang district of Phitsanulok province on Monday. Pol Lt Col Nonthaworn Seein, the deputy chief of Muang police station in Phitsanulok, said a man believed to be Mr Teerapon borrowed a motorcycle from a hotel maid, saying he was going to a department store, and failed to return it. Yesterday, Phitsanulok police said Mr Teerapon had abandoned the motorcycle by the roadside near a house in tambon Tha Thong in Muang district. Somusay Boonpiam, 42, said she noticed the motorcycle was parked outside her house yesterday and thought it had broken down. Footage from surveillance cameras showed that after dumping the motorcycle, he was picked up by a white pick-up truck, which appeared to be heading to Nakhon Sawan province. Police said there was a good chance he might be hiding in Bangkok or Chon Buri. Police said the motive behind the multiple murders is unclear. Thapset Khuenkaew, chief investigator of Uttaradit province, said jealousy is a possible motive. “Mr Teerapon may have suspected his wife was planning to reunite with her ex-husband,” he said. Royal Thai Police spokesman Piya Uthayo said Mr Teerapon has a long rap sheet, which includes arrests for theft, fraud and drunk driving. A video clip seen by the Bangkok Post showed Mr Teerapon trading words with his wife before pulling out a pistol and shooting his fatherin-law and then her. Pol Col Thapset said the suspect was trying to make his way back to his hometown in Ranong. The Uttaradit court has issued an arrest warrant for Mr Teerapon and pictures of him have been circulated to police across the country. A police background check found he has five vehicles, including the Camry he used to flee. He had applied for an ID card in several provinces.