Court Paralegal Charged with the Murder of Courtroom Killer

Police on Wednesday arrested a paralegal for fatally shooting a retired deputy police general who had shot and killed two plaintiffs in a Chanthaburi Court.

Thanakorn Theerawarodom was taken into custody as he was leaving his room at Kasemsarn Hotel on Wednesday morning. Police had a warrant for his arrest on a charge of murder.

Earlier news reports said that a court policeman shot former Pol Maj Gen Thanin Chantratip after he killed two plaintiff.  The two men were adversaries in a long-running lawsuit.

Police said on Wednesday that surveillance camera footage showed that Mr Thanakorn took the court policeman’s pistol and shot the retired police major-general.

Pol Maj Gen Thanin (Retired) used his pistol to shoot prominent lawyer Bancha Porameesanaporn, his wife, and two other lawyers.

Prior to the shooting, they were all waiting for a hearing in a court case related to a dispute over the inheritance of 3,800 rai of land in Chanthaburi.

Thanin and Bancha were brothers-in-law, their wives the daughters of the late land owner. Bancha and one of his lawyers died in the court room. Thanin died later in hospital.

Sarawut Benjakul, secretary-general of the Office of the Court Judiciary, said on Wednesday that surveillance camera footage showed Thanin slipping into the courtroom without being screened for weapons while the court policeman was standing at attention for the morning national anthem played at 8am.

News Source: Bangkok Post