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Published on November 12, 2007

News her son beat eight security guards to death and brutally injured 10 others caught Mala Jaikhan off guard.

"I can hardly believe he did it," Mala said yesterday from her home in Si Chiang Mai district of Nong Khai.

She wants to send her son a book written by local monk Luang Pu Rian and a medallion with his portrait. "I want to remind him of what the monk has taught," Mala said.

According to her, son Vittaya was twice ordained as a monk under the care of Luang Pu Rian. Vittaya spent at least three years as a monk.

"He should have known what he was doing and when he did wrong he should have repented," Mala said tearfully.

Before the shocking details of Vittaya's killing spree came to light, he appeared a hard-working man.

Vittaya, 30, was never late to his job as a security guard in Bangkok. Before he moved to the capital, he worked hard as a farm hand and doing odd jobs in his hometown. Whenever he had free time, he spent it with his two-year-old son.

Vittaya was taunted for a deformity as a youth but never fought with anyone, his mother said.

He was encouraged to move to Bangkok by a relative who said he could earn more money.

Since coming to the capital, he has religiously sent Bt5,000 a month to his parents and son. He is separated from his wife.

But what his family did not know was that Vittaya often borrowed a motorcycle from a friend to carry out brutal attacks, murders and theft.

A security camera captured Vittaya beating a security guard to death and stealing his mobile phone.

When police caught Vittaya, he confessed to 18 attacks. Eight victims died.

He said he attacked only security guards who were asleep or were drunk on duty.

Metropolitan Police Divi-sion II deputy commander Colonel Panlop Suwanbat said Vittaya showed no signs of mental illness and was coherent.