American tourist killed in Thailand as love triangle turns deadly during violent confrontation: police

An American was killed in Thailand in what authorities describe as a violent love triangle involving his ex-girlfriend, her new boyfriend and three others.

54-year-old Stein Heath Cole pleaded with his ex-girlfriend Nan Phawt Ar Cho, 24, to get back together with him on Feb. 16, according to The Mirror. Her current boyfriend, 26-year-old Saw Nay Lin Oo, as well as three other men, allegedly attacked Stein in Bangkok on Monday at around 4:30 p.m. following the plea.

Police said Cole arrived at a shop in Bangkok with a 10-inch kitchen knife, which began the fight, adding that the four men were charged with “jointly assaulting another person, causing death.”

The American from California was allegedly beaten to death by the four men with a metal pole and knife.

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Cole was found on the pavement with both legs broken and five stab wounds, with a 10-inch knife and a metal pipe found nearby.

The suspects were identified as Saw Kyaw Win Tun, Saw Kyaw Htunt Paying and Thien Oo, the ex-girlfriend’s brother. One of the suspects was stabbed and taken to a nearby hospital.

Bangmod Police district station Superintendent Colonel Sonchai Poonphol said the fight was caused by a “relationship dispute.”

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“This incident was caused by a personal relationship dispute. The deceased could not accept their break-up and had been following his ex-girlfriend continuously,” he said. “On the day of the incident, he is said to have produced a knife, provoking the suspects to intervene and attack him. The suspects claimed that they had no intention to kill, but the situation became chaotic, and they lost control.”

Prior to the attack, Cole lived alone in an apartment across the street from the store. Police alleged that the woman’s family didn’t approve of her relationship with the American.

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“Relatives of the woman did not approve of her relationship with the American man and had been trying to separate them. He was described as aggressive, prone to outbursts, and a heavy drinker,” Poonphol said. “Both the woman’s family and the American were staying in the same apartment building. There had been previous confrontations between him and her relatives.”

“The American man had no occupation. He had been renting a room there and was living alone. We have already coordinated with the U.S. Embassy on Monday. All four suspects have been charged with jointly assaulting another person, causing death. Initial witness statements indicate that the motive stemmed from a romantic dispute and family conflict,” he added.