– Thana “Pong” Kerdthong, 43, and Thongchai “Thong” Srinil, 39, pleaded guilty to all nine charges at Pattaya Provincial Court on the 20th of October in the case of Russian siblings Diana Nazimova, 22, and Roman Nazimov, 17.
– Both had previously admitted most charges but denied premeditated murder; Thana had also denied the rape charge. They reversed those denials.
– The court allowed the victims’ mother, Sarina Nazimova, to join as a co-plaintiff on the rape and murder counts. An evidence hearing supporting the pleas is set for the 30th of November.
– The case is linked to a wider investigation that also involves the earlier killings of a Thai family of three.
Pattaya: Two Thai men charged in the July killings of Russian siblings Diana Nazimova and Roman Nazimov have pleaded guilty to every count against them at Pattaya Provincial Court, reversing earlier denials of premeditated murder and rape.
Thana “Pong” Kerdthong and Thongchai “Thong” Srinil appeared on the 20th of October in black case No. A 1038/2569. At a previous hearing they had admitted firearms, explosives, impersonating officials, unlawful detention, nighttime armed robbery while posing as police, and concealing the bodies. Both had denied jointly committing premeditated murder to facilitate another offence. Thana had denied the charge of joint rape by force while the victim was unable to resist, involving a firearm and resulting in death; Thongchai had pleaded guilty to that count. After the court read and explained the indictment again, both men changed their pleas and admitted the full set of charges.
The court also ruled on an application by the victims’ mother, Zarina Nazimova, who was present with a lawyer and Russian interpreter. Prosecutors confirmed her status and raised no objection. The court allowed her to join as a co-plaintiff on the counts under Criminal Code sections covering serious sexual offences and aggravated murder, but not on the remaining charges where the state is the sole injured party. Thana also acknowledged that he is the same person named in an earlier Pattaya Provincial Court case (red case 3330/2566) that prosecutors have cited in seeking an increased penalty.
Because the offences carry severe possible penalties, including the death penalty, the court ordered an evidentiary hearing even after the guilty pleas. That hearing is set for 9 a.m. on the 30th of November so prosecutors can present supporting evidence. The defendants remain in custody.
The siblings left their home in Huai Yai, Banglamung, early on the 26th of July on a motorcycle to reportedly go to a convenience store and disappeared. Police later arrested the two men in Sa Kaeo province and recovered the bodies from a concealed burial site in Huai Yai. Investigators said the men had posed as police officers. The same inquiry also linked the defendants to the earlier robbery-murders of a Thai family of three. Details of the charges and the initial partial pleas were reported HERE and in coverage of the formal indictment.
A guilty plea does not end the case. The court must still examine the supporting evidence before it can enter judgment and consider sentences. The next substantive step is the 30th of November hearing.