Man Arrested for Strangling Girlfriend After Tense Island Trip Ends in Murder
PHITSANULOK, Thailand — A 30-year-old man has been arrested and charged with premeditated murder after confessing to strangling his 28-year-old girlfriend following a fraught five-day vacation to Koh Chang island.
Surasak Khamtanode was taken into custody at around 7 p.m. on Saturday, shortly after police discovered the body of Kittikan Chapan in their shared room in Muang district. Authorities say the couple returned that same day from Trat province, where tensions during their trip reportedly escalated into deadly violence.
According to Pol Col Watcharapong Sitthiroongrote, Surasak admitted that frequent arguments plagued their island getaway and continued upon their return home. In his statement to police, he claimed that Kittikan “challenged him to kill her,” prompting him to choke her once. When she survived, he later used a phone charging cable to strangle her to death.
Surasak told police he intended to take his own life, drinking alcohol in a failed suicide attempt before ultimately fleeing the scene. He left the air conditioner running in the room, with the body still inside.
Police brought the suspect back to the crime scene for a re-enactment on Saturday night, a common part of Thai criminal investigations.
Surasak, known locally for his work with racing car paints, had only recently begun dating Kittikan, police said. The relationship, they noted, appeared troubled from the start.
