Eleven former students of Pathumwan Institute of Technology were sentenced to life in prison today, after being found guilty by the Criminal Court of killing a graduate of Rajamangala University of Technology Phra Nakhon and injuring three other people at a wedding ceremony in Bangkok on August 14, 2022.
Three other co-defendants, also from Pathumwan Institute of Technology, were acquitted due to lack of evidence.
According to the verdict, the 14 former and active students of Pathumwan Institute of Technology plotted the scheme to launch a gun attack on a wedding ceremony of a rival student from the Rajamangala University of Technology Tawan-ok, Uthenthawai campus, to avenge the killing of their fellow student in July 2022.
Then, on August 14th, 2022, they travelled to a house in Bangkok’s Sutthisan area, where the wedding ceremony was being held. They opened fire indiscriminately into the crowd of guests, killing Natthawut Phinitmai. Three other guests were seriously injured.
The court ruled that their crime was premediated and outrageous and, initially, sentenced the 11 co-defendants to death. That was subsequently commuted to life for their useful testimonies. They were also ordered to pay 1.6 million baht in compensation to the mother of the deceased.
After the verdict, Rutjalak, the victim’s mother, thanked the police, public prosecutors and the judges for granting her the justice. She said her son was not a student of either of the rival colleges, but was killed merely because he happened to be attending the wedding of a friend.
She said that she wishes that the two colleges would end their violent rivalry, which has cost several innocent lives.
