A third companion of Nida “Tangmo” Patcharaveerapong on the night she died has been charged in connection with her death.
Wisapat “Sand” Manomairat turned herself in yesterday to police in Nonthaburi province, where she was charged with recklessness causing death that’s been ruled a speedboat accident in late February. The police have not disclosed the basis for the charge.
Wisapat reportedly zipped past the police station three times on Sunday before she exited and braved the press scrum to turn herself in, a day after the provincial court approved a warrant for her arrest.
After three hours inside the police station, Wisapat exited to deny any wrongdoing to reporters gathered outside, saying that her original testimony about the actress losing her balance while urinating off the side of the boat was accurate.
Public suspicion has fallen on whether she shook off Tangmo at the time to avoid falling herself.
“The truth is from what I testified from the start,” she said when asked if Tangmo had been holding onto her leg.
The 35-year-old suspect was the third to be charged, following boat owner Danupat “Por” Lerttaweewit and its inexperienced operator, Paiboon “Robert” Trikanjananun. The two men were charged with negligence in March after it was found that Paiboon took the wheel and caused the boat to lose control, causing Tangmo to fall and possibly be fatally wounded by the propeller.
Wisapat’s arrest came a day after new furor erupted over clips of her partying on a cruise boat near the Rama VIII Bridge, in the same area where Tangmo drowned, were shared widely across social media. People accused her of being insensitive and acting like nothing had occurred.
On Saturday, Danupat and Paiboon were charged with making false statements and attempting to destroy evidence for telling investigators no alcohol was consumed on the boat despite evidence later recovered of liquor bottles and drinking glasses thrown into the river.
Tangmo’s death has gripped the nation for weeks and continues to be front page news in many publications. In addition to the three companions charged, two others were on the boat at the time of her death: Tangmo’s longtime manager Itsarin “Kratik” Jutasuksawat and Nitat “Job” Keeratisutthisathorn.
เป็นเอฟซีพี่แซนค่ะ ดีใจมากๆพี่แซนกลับไปปาร์ตี้แล้วหลังจากเกิดเรื่องขึ้น มาร่วมยินดีกับพี่แซนได้นะคะ ยิ้มแย้มมีความสุขมากๆเลย #แตงโมต้องไม่ตายฟรี pic.twitter.com/XGOw2bActH
— กะปิ (@leahhlathi) April 2, 2022
