Former Monk Suspected of Revenge After Expulsion: Breaks into Temple and Fatally Stabs Deputy Abbot Three Times

A murder case recently occurred at a temple in Songkhla Province, Thailand. A 56-year-old deputy abbot was found dead in his lodging room, with three stab wounds to his chest. After investigation, police identified a former monk who had previously been expelled from the monkhood for drug involvement as the prime suspect, and suspect he returned to the temple for revenge due to longstanding grievances. Authorities are now making every effort to pursue his whereabouts.

The deceased, Phra Kusamunan, known locally among followers as 'Phra Nan'. The case was discovered on the morning of the 5th of this month. At that time, monks in the temple were preparing for morning prayers and chanting. After multiple failed attempts to contact the deputy abbot, they went to his lodging room to check, only to find him lying in a pool of blood.

After receiving the report, the police rushed to the scene and found the deceased still dressed in monk robes, lying on the ground, with a damaged electric fan pressed on top of his body. There were clear signs of a struggle at the scene. Autopsy results showed a knife wound to the deceased's chin, and three stab wounds to the chest, which were severe enough to cause instantaneous death.

According to the investigation, the 45-year-old suspect, Mano, had once been ordained as a monk in the temple, but last year was expelled from the order due to suspected drug use. Police believe that the suspect harbored resentment, and on the night of the incident, sneaked into Wat Chak in Ranot District, Songkhla Province, entered the deputy abbot's lodgings and had a dispute with him, which ended in a stabbing.

Investigations showed that the victim attempted to resist the attack, suffering a laceration to the chin during the struggle and even fell to the ground at one point. The suspect then stabbed his chest three times in a row, which caused fatal injuries, and then quickly fled the scene.

During further investigation, police found that part of the temple's CCTV system was not functioning properly during the incident. Upon checking, it was discovered that the temple's Wi-Fi equipment had its power deliberately disconnected, causing some surveillance systems to lose their network connection.

Investigators believe the perpetrator was very familiar with the temple environment and the locations of its equipment, even being aware of how the surveillance system operated, indicating detailed planning before committing the crime. Thus, authorities do not rule out the possibility that the case was premeditated.

Additionally, key evidence obtained by local media shows that on the day of the crime, a former monk was seen riding a motorcycle into the temple grounds and repeatedly loitering around the temple area, behaving suspiciously. Police, after further comparison, believe this individual to be Mano, currently listed as the prime suspect.

The police have classified the case as a murder and believe that it is linked to a long-standing grudge stemming from the suspect's expulsion from the monkhood.