Pattaya prosecutors have indicted two men on nine charges in the Russian siblings’ murder case, with Pattaya Provincial Court accepting the indictment yesterday, September 30.
The charges stem from the July disappearance and deaths of a Russian brother and sister in Huai Yai, Bang Lamung district, Chon Buri.
The defendants are Thana Kerdthong, known as Pong, and Thongchai Srinil, known as Thong. The case was registered at Pattaya Provincial Court as a criminal black case.
The nine counts include illegal possession of firearms and ammunition, carrying firearms and a grenade in public, impersonating public officials and unlawful detention.
Prosecutors have also charged the defendants with aggravated night-time robbery while posing as officials and using firearms, resulting in death, together with premeditated murder. The indictment further includes rape by force involving a firearm and resulting in death, as well as concealing or moving bodies to hide the circumstances of the deaths.
The case began after the Russian siblings left their home at about 4am on July 26 on a motorcycle and had not returned. Their mother reported them missing, and police later found the motorcycle dismantled and buried near an old cemetery in Huai Yai.
Police arrested 43 year old Thana and 39 year old Thongchai in Wang Sombun district of Sa Kaeo province on July 31 after tracing them across provinces. Investigators later recovered the siblings’ bodies from a shallow grave in Huai Yai.
Pattaya Provincial Court denied the pair bail at their first detention hearing on August 1, citing the seriousness of the allegations and concerns that they could flee. They have remained in custody.
During police questioning, the two men gave differing accounts of what happened. Thongchai accused Thana of killing the siblings and claimed he was forced to help conceal their bodies, while Thana admitted assaulting the pair but said the motive was theft of their motorcycle and denied sexual assault.
The claims have not been tested at trial.
The investigation later expanded when police discovered the bodies of a Thai couple and their teenage daughter around two kilometres from the first burial site. Police alleged that members of the same group posed as officers, detained the family and killed them during a robbery.
Two additional suspects were arrested in connection with the Thai family’s deaths. Although police have linked the two sets of killings, the Thai family case is being handled separately.
In August, the heirs of each of the five victims received 300,000 baht in state compensation, bringing the total to 1.5 million baht.
The Department of Corrections previously confirmed that Thana had been released from prison on June 5 after completing a sentence of seven years, seven months and 25 days for attempted murder, firearms and drug-related offences.
Some offences alleged in the indictment can carry capital punishment if the legal requirements are established, although any sentence would depend on conviction and the court’s judgment. Relatives of the Thai family have previously called for the maximum punishment.
The case will now proceed through Pattaya Provincial Court, with the defendants remaining in custody.
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