Widow faces death

A woman found guilty of masterminding her husband's murder in order to pick up Bt2 million in insurance money was sen¬tenced to death by the Criminal Court yesterday. The four men who carried out the murder each got 25 years in jail.

Last April, Khai Suksamphan hired Manote Phumthavorn to kill her exhusband Sawaeng Boonmee, a 56yearold foreman at the ShinoThai construction company.

Lured out, stabbed

Sawaeng was lured out on a date by Oranuch Lahchan then beaten and stabbed by Manote and his three accomplices in Bang Kapi district. They stole his cellphone and Bt15,000 cash. They then ran Sawaeng over with a taxi in an attempt to pass off the murder as a road accident.

Considering evidence including testimony from the driver who took the four men to Sukhothai to get their payment of Bt300,000 from Khai and an insurance firm employ¬ee who said Khai bought the victim life insurance just prior to the incident, the court ruled that Khai and the four men were guilty as charged.