The Sherry Ann Duncan Murder (1986) is one of Thailand’s most infamous true crime cases: the murder of a 16-year-old Thai-American schoolgirl, wrongful convictions, allegations of police abuse, and questions that still follow the case decades later.

Sherry left school in Bangkok on July 22, 1986, and vanished. Four men were later convicted and sentenced to death before that case collapsed. A second prosecution followed years later, but the full story never became simple.

Shadows of Siam returns Sherry to the center: her childhood, final school day, the investigation, false testimony, the innocent men who lost years of their lives, the later prosecution, and the questions that remain.

Sources

The Murder of Thai-American Sherry Ann Duncan and Prospects for Due Process in Criminal Trials
https://www.thailawforum.com/the-murder-of-thai.html

คดีเชอรี่ แอน ดันแคน | Office of the Attorney General Legal Library
https://www3.ago.go.th/library/sherry-ann/

Mourning the 2nd Anniversary of the Passing of the “Last Scapegoat in Sherry Ann Case”
https://www.amnesty.or.th/en/blog/2014/10/mourning-the-2nd-anniversary-of-the-passing-of-the-last-scapegoat-in-sherry-ann-case/

“จบชีวิตแพะคดีเชอรี่แอน” คดีอัปยศตำรวจไทย-ปรับใหม่กระบวนยุติธรรม! | Isranews
https://www.isranews.org/content-page/item/17064-%E2%80%9C%E0%B8%88%E0%B8%9A%E0%B8%8A%E0%B8%B5%E0%B8%A7%E0%B8%B4%E0%B8%95%E0%B9%81%E0%B8%9E%E0%B8%B0%E0%B8%84%E0%B8%94%E0%B8%B5%E0%B9%80%E0%B8%8A%E0%B8%AD%E0%B8%A3%E0%B8%B5%E0%B9%88%E0%B9%81%E0%B8%AD%E0%B8%99%E2%80%9D-%E0%B8%84%E0%B8%94%E0%B8%B5%E0%B8%AD%E0%B8%B1%E0%B8%9B%E0%B8%A2%E0%B8%A8%E0%B8%95%E0%B8%B3%E0%B8%A3%E0%B8%A7%E0%B8%88%E0%B9%84%E0%B8%97%E0%B8%A2-%E0%B8%9B%E0%B8%A3%E0%B8%B1%E0%B8%9A%E0%B9%83%E0%B8%AB%E0%B8%A1%E0%B9%88%E0%B8%81%E0%B8%A3%E0%B8%B0%E0%B8%9A%E0%B8%A7%E0%B8%99%E0%B8%A2%E0%B8%B8%E0%B8%95%E0%B8%B4%E0%B8%98%E0%B8%A3%E0%B8%A3%E0%B8%A1.html

ความรัก...ของเชอรี่แอน ดันแคน | Thai PBS
https://www.thaipbs.or.th/program/TruthNeverDies/episodes/58392

รัก ลวง ซ้อน “เชอรี่ แอน” จบชีวิตทั้งชุดนักเรียน | Kom Chad Luek
https://www.komchadluek.net/today-in-history/380924

Patpong Daughter Faces Murder Charge | UPI
https://www.upi.com/Archives/1995/11/01/Patpong-daughter-faces-murder-charge/1777815202000/

ย้อนคดีเชอรี่แอน “แพะในตำนาน” | Matichon Weekly
https://www.matichon.co.th/weekly/featured/article_20990

#SherryAnnDuncan #ThailandTrueCrime #ThaiTrueCrime #WrongfulConviction #TrueCrimePodcast

SPOTIFY VIDEO CLIP DESCRIPTION - 98 CHARACTERS

Sherry Ann Duncan’s 1986 murder exposed wrongful convictions and unanswered questions in Thailand.

Jenjira “Pui” Ployangunsri was 23, in her fifth year of medical school in Bangkok, and expected to be back for a meeting at seven o’clock. She never made it back.

In this episode of Shadows of Siam, we examine the 1998 murder of Jenjira Ployangunsri, the changing confessions of fellow medical student Serm Sakhonrat, the forensic evidence that broke his story apart, and the DNA work that helped make this one of Thailand’s landmark criminal investigations.

This is not a story about sensational details. It is about Pui: a daughter, granddaughter, friend, and doctor-in-training whose life was reduced too often to the crime committed against her. We follow the investigation from her disappearance through the Bang Pakong River evidence, Dr. Porntip Rojanasunan’s forensic work, the court finding of premeditated murder, the life sentence, Serm’s release after about 13 years and 9 months, and the later debate over rehabilitation, punishment, and his attempt to enter the legal profession.

Content warning: This episode discusses intimate-partner violence, murder, and the postmortem treatment of human remains. Graphic detail is limited, but listener discretion is advised.

Sources

Judgment of the Supreme Court of Justice No. 6083/2546
https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Translation%3AJudgment_of_the_Supreme_Court_of_Justice_No._6083/2546/Syllabus

Public Prosecutor & Pratyaphat v Sakhonrat (2003), Full Thai Judgment
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Public_Prosecutor_%26_Pratyaphat_v_Sakhonrat_(2003)_FULLTEXT-TH.pdf

Dr Porntip: No Bones Unturned
https://www.marshallcavendish.com/docs/default-source/default-document-library/sample-page/9789814634571.pdf?sfvrsn=cca2bc44_2

บันทึกรัก คราบเลือด และน้ำตา
https://www.sanook.com/news/167441/

Forensic DNA Profiling in the Southern Border Provinces of Thailand: Ethical and Regulatory Issues
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0379073822001529

Porntip Rojanasunan: Thailand’s No. 1 Lady Detective
https://monocle.com/affairs/porntip-rojanasunan-thailand-detective/

Killer Serm Released Early to Avoid Media
https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/30172103

“ปริญญา” ความสำเร็จหลังกำแพงบางขวาง!
https://mgronline.com/crime/detail/9520000114647

“เสริม” พ้นคุกไม่ถึง 5 ปี เป็นทนายไม่ได้
https://www.komchadluek.net/news/170797

Contemporary 1998 coverage: “Jilted Man ‘Flushed Lover Down Toilet’” and “Doubts Over Murder Story”
https://www.newspapers.com/

Featuring music by Yoza, including “Broken Wings.”

#JenjiraPloyangunsri #ThailandTrueCrime #ThaiTrueCrime #TrueCrimePodcast #ShadowsOfSiam

Mitr Chaibancha was more than Thailand’s biggest movie star. He was Red Eagle, the screen partner of Petchara Chaowarat, and a defining face of Thai cinema. This episode follows the boy from Nang Loeng through the Royal Thai Air Force, superstardom, fatherhood, relentless film schedules, directing ambitions, and his final film, Insee Thong (อินทรีทอง).

On October 8, 1970, a helicopter stunt at Dong Tan Beach near Pattaya went terribly wrong. More than half a century later, some details remain disputed. We separate the verified record from rumor and later legend while asking the harder question: could better communication and film-set safety have changed what happened?

At its heart, this is not a story about a fall. It is about Mitr Chaibancha (มิตร ชัยบัญชา), the father, friend, actor, director and mentor whose life was still opening outward when it ended.

Sources:
Mitr-Mythology | Thai Film Archive - https://artsandculture.google.com/story/mitr-mythology-thai-film-archive/gQVhBxrO_ETCag?hl=en
ปริศนาการตาย มิตร ชัยบัญชา | Thai PBS - https://www.thaipbs.or.th/program/TruthNeverDies/watch/eXpOFC
Mitr Chaibancha Remembered | Bangkok Post - https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/1338962/mitr-chaibancha-remembered
สกู๊ปพิเศษ: “มิตร ชัยบัญชา” กับฝันที่ไปไม่ถึง! | MGR Online - https://mgronline.com/drama/detail/9660000090535
รู้จัก “บุญทิ้ง” หรือ “มิตร ชัยบัญชา” อดีตพระเอกใจบุญ! | MGR Online - https://mgronline.com/drama/detail/9640000098787
เพชรา เผยทั้งน้ำตาปม มิตร ชัยบัญชา เสียชีวิตยังติดอยู่ในใจ | Thairath - https://www.thairath.co.th/entertain/news/1751553
รำลึก 54 ปี “มิตร ชัยบัญชา” | Matichon - https://www.matichon.co.th/entertainment/news_4834973
รำลึก 51 ปี ย้อนรอยโศกนาฏกรรม “มิตร ชัยบัญชา” | Nation TV - https://www.nationtv.tv/entertainment/378844770
อินทรีแดง และฮีโร่สวมหน้ากากในสื่อบันเทิงไทย | The Matter - https://thematter.co/thinkers/red-mask-and-hero-fiction-in-thailand/104221
Mitr Chaibancha’s Movies at the Thai Film Archive | Pattaya Trader - https://www.pattayatrader.com/2020/11/04/mitr-chaibancha-the-greatest-thai-movie-star/

Contemporary UPI and Associated Press newspaper clippings from 1970-1971 were also reviewed from archival scans supplied during research; no stable public URLs were available.

#MitrChaibancha #มิตรชัยบัญชา #InseeThong #RedEagle #ThaiCinema

Hans-Peter Mack disappeared in Pattaya after a real-estate meeting on July 4, 2023. His wife was waiting for lunch. His Mercedes vanished. Within days, the search for a missing German businessman became a murder case involving CCTV, a freezer, a boat, millions of baht, and three eventual murder convictions.

Shadows of Siam follows the evidence while remembering the man his sons Louis and Leon knew before the headlines.

Sources
Bewegte Bilder sind die Welt des Hans-Peter Mack - https://www.welt.de/print-welt/article537641/Bewegte-Bilder-sind-die-Welt-des-Hans-Peter-Mack.html
Söhne über Stückel-Mord: „Dass es unseren Vater traf, war nur Pech“ - https://www.focus.de/panorama/welt/opfer-hans-peter-mack-sohn-ueber-stueckel-mord-dass-es-meinen-vater-traf-war-nur-pech_id_198963643.html
Missing German man's 'cleaned' Mercedes found in Pattaya - https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2608668/missing-german-mans-cleaned-mercedes-found-in-pattaya
Thai Police Confirm Two Prime Suspects Caught on CCTV Together the Same Morning Murdered German Businessman Hans Peter Mack went Missing in Pattaya - https://thepattayanews.com/2023/07/13/thai-police-confirm-two-prime-suspects-caught-on-cctv-together-the-same-morning-murdered-german-businessman-hans-peter-mack-went-missing-in-pattaya/
นิติเวชตร. ยัน 11 ชิ้นส่วนเป็นของ “ฮันส์ ปีเตอร์” ยังไม่พบสาเหตุการตาย - https://www.matichon.co.th/local/news_4075736
Police Seize Suspect’s Boat in Pattaya Over Murder of Hans Peter Mack - https://thepattayanews.com/2023/07/14/police-seize-suspects-boat-in-pattaya-over-murder-of-hans-peter-mack/
UPDATE: Pakistani- Thai Suspect in Murder of Hans Peter Mack in Pattaya Afraid of German Suspect, asks Police for Help to Prove his Innocence - https://thepattayanews.com/2023/07/15/update-pakistani-thai-suspect-in-murder-of-hans-peter-mack-in-pattaya-afraid-of-german-suspect-asks-police-for-help-to-prove-his-innocence/
2 foreign pedophiles & Thai pimp nabbed in Pattaya trafficking bust - https://www.pattayamail.com/news/2-foreign-pedophiles-thai-pimp-nabbed-pattaya-trafficking-bust-203448
Three Face Ultimate Penalty in Pattaya’s German Murder Case - https://www.khaosodenglish.com/news/crimecourtscalamity/2024/12/21/three-face-ultimate-penalty-in-pattaya-german-murder-case/

#HansPeterMack #PattayaTrueCrime #ThailandTrueCrime #TrueCrimePodcast #ShadowsOfSiam

Prao-Pilas Paladon was celebrating her 30th birthday in Bangkok. Days later, friends found her dead inside a luxury condo on Sukhumvit Soi 39, and police began tracing her Singaporean boyfriend, Daniel Benjamin Goh Wei-En, north toward the Myanmar border.

This episode of Shadows of Siam follows the verified CCTV timeline, the unanswered 10:29 a.m. phone call from Meen’s phone to her mother, the preliminary finding of acute heart failure, allegations of earlier relationship violence, and the manhunt through Chiang Rai and Mae Sai. Police later said they believed Daniel crossed into Myanmar through an unofficial route.

But this is not just a Bangkok true crime case. Meen was a daughter from Khon Kaen, a younger sister, a friend, and someone whose family depended on her. We separate verified evidence from rumor and theory, and we do not pretend the public record gives us an ending it does not.

Sources:

Warrant Issued for Singaporean in Bangkok Girlfriend’s Birthday Murder
https://www.khaosodenglish.com/news/2025/03/28/warrant-issued-for-singaporean-in-bangkok-girlfriends-birthday-murder/

Hunt for Singaporean man after girlfriend found dead in Bangkok condo
https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/bangkok/40047925

เปิดไทม์ไลน์หนุ่มสิงคโปร์ ต้องสงสัยฆาตกรรมแฟนสาว - ออกหมายจับแล้ว
https://www.thaipbs.or.th/news/content/350627

เปิดผลชันสูตร สาวดับเปลือยในคอนโดหรู ไร้บาดแผล ญาติ-เพื่อน มั่นใจ ถูกแฟนหนุ่มฆาตกรรม
https://ch3plus.com/news/social/ruangden/436118

เปิดผลชันสูตร 'สาวขอนแก่น' ขณะแม่-พี่สาว มั่นใจฝีมือ 'เดเนียล' วอนเร่งล่า
https://www.dailynews.co.th/news/4544435/

แม่เผยคำพูดสุดท้ายลูกสาว ก่อนพบเป็นศพถูกฆ่าหมกคอนโด
https://www.thaipost.net/criminality-news/762939/

เปิดไทม์ไลน์ “หนุ่มสิงคโปร์” ผู้ต้องสงสัย ฆ่าโหดแฟนสาว หมกคอนโดหรูกลางกรุง
https://www.topnews.co.th/news/1195415

แกะรอย 'แดเนียล' ต้องสงสัย ปมสังหารหญิงไทยหมกคอนโดฯ ตร.เชื่อยังอยู่ในเมียนมา
https://www.naewna.com/local/873103

“My daughter said if she disappears, it’s because of him”: Mother of victim alleges to Thai media
https://mothership.sg/2025/03/sporean-man-wanted-girlfriends-fights/

Singaporean man hides in Myanmar after death of Thai girlfriend
https://thethaiger.com/news/bangkok/singaporean-man-hides-in-myanmar-after-death-of-thai-girlfriend

#ShadowsOfSiam #ThailandTrueCrime #BangkokTrueCrime #PraoPilasPaladon #TrueCrimePodcast

Unsolved Thailand murder case: environmental monk Phra Supoj Suwajo was killed at Suan Metta Dharm forest monastery in Fang, Chiang Mai on June 17, 2005—an attack long linked in reporting to land and environmental conflict, with renewed public calls years later to strengthen or revisit the investigation.

In this episode of Shadows of Siam, we walk the verified timeline of the killing, then widen the lens to Fang’s high-pressure land and resource disputes described in longform reporting—context that helps e xplain why an “environmental monk” could become a target.

This episode contains factual reporting on a homicide and may include details that are disturbing. What follows is reconstructed from documented reporting and attributed official statements described in those reports, available at the time of release; some details may change if new evidence emerges. A clearly labeled Speculation Lane appears later, separate from the verified timeline. Listener discretion is advised.

Shadows of Siam — Where the land remembers what others try to forget.

#ShadowsOfSiam #ThailandTrueCrime #ChiangMai #Fang #UnsolvedMurder #ColdCase #BuddhistMonk #EnvironmentalActivism #HumanRights #TrueCrimePodcast #SoutheastAsia #ThailandHistory