Police are focussing on areas near the venerable Gimyong Market of Hat Yai in their search for the accused murderess. (File photo by Wichayant Boonchote)

Everyone has their favourite "mother-in-law from hell'' story but Juree Janngam must beat out all other contenders after being convicted of murdering her son's future bride, being sentenced to death for it and then dying before the sentence was carried out.

But wait, there is more. Juree has returned from the grave to haunt the victims' relatives. Police recently discovered she had faked her death and is hiding in Hat Yai. She was seen by people who knew her at the market, shopping for groceries, even though she was supposed to be long dead.

Her future daughter-in-law, pharmacist Riwprae Chotikarn, 26, was shot dead along with her assistant at a clinic in Songkhla's Rattaphum district on the evening of Dec 13, 2007, only 16 days before her wedding to Wikrom Janngam, 36, Juree's son.

A police investigation led them to believe Juree, who was opposed to her son's plans for marriage, arranged the contract killing of Riwprae. The clinic assistant who died with her was collateral damage during the hit.

Narin Janchay, 36, the gunman, and Jamnong Kongsuwan, 40, his alleged accomplice, were arrested in Phatthalung after being implicated in the killings, according to Pol Col Sompong Suwanwong, superintendent of the Crime Suppression Division (CSD)'s Subdivision 6.

Their arrest gave police evidence to apprehend Juree, 73.

Investigators sought to indict the trio, but prosecutors were forced to drop the charges against Mr Jamnong due to insufficient evidence.

Narin and Juree were later sentenced to death by the first two courts. Juree appealed against the sentence and was granted bail on a five-million-baht bond, while Narin stayed behind bars.

On Feb 27 last year, Juree's 40-year-old daughter Rasamee motioned the Songkhla Provincial Court, asking for the return of the bail money, claiming her mother died three days earlier at a house in Chumphon's Muang district.

She claimed Juree's body had been cremated at Wat Maneesop in Muang district on Feb 28.

The Supreme Court ordered a probe into Juree's death. Ms Rasamee told the court Juree collapsed and died after returning from the People's Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC) rally in Bangkok.

Ms Rasami said that after the death of her mother, she notified a village headman, asking him to issue a document attesting to her death as evidence to be submitted to the district office.

Provincial prosecutors brought six witnesses to the court, consisting of an assistant district chief, an officer notified of the death, a temple undertaker, the temple abbot, an assistant of the abbot and a police investigator.

They said no cremation rite was ever held for Juree and none of them had seen her body.

Juree's death certificate was issued by the district based solely on the guarantee document from the village headman.

The court ruled Juree is not dead as claimed by her daughter, and she appeared to have skipped bail.

The court had earlier reduced Juree's sentence from death to life imprisonment after her son's testimony during the trial but Narin remained on death row. "The informants who closely monitored the case found Juree is still alive. She turned up at Gimyong market several times. Witnesses also confirmed they saw Juree recently," said Pol Col Sompong.

The CSD stepped into the case after Ruedeemat Singmanee, the mother of Riwprae, wrote to the division asking the officers to track down Juree, he said.

"Before my daughter died, she said Juree and Rasamee stalked and verbally abused her constantly, especially as the wedding day approached," Ms Ruedeemat said.

"Juree even said the wedding must be cancelled or else a funeral will be held instead," Ms Ruedeemat said.

Juree opposed Riwprae marrying her son because she was from a poor family and she feared the victim might try to take property from her family, according to Ms Ruedeemat.

Pol Col Sompong said police had raided Juree's house early this year, but no trace of her was found.

Despite this, the probe discovered Juree was staying with Ms Rasamee and witnesses close to their house confirmed she was still alive, he said.

Pol Col Sompong said he sent officers to look for Juree for three months. The investigation found Ms Rasamee was seen regularly driving for her mother in Hat Yai district.

The daughter, he said, tried to drive around in a circle to prevent any followers from keeping track of her. She was also reported to have brought her mother to the hospital frequently.

Following the information, investigators started to work out a plan to arrest Juree.

On Wednesday, police received a tip-off that Ms Rasamee was driving out of her house in Hat Yai and she may have gone out to meet her mother, said Pol Col Sompong.

Police tried to track Ms Rasamee as she drove her Honda CRV around Hat Yai, but lost sight of the vehicle. Police were told about half an hour later that Ms Rasamee had returned home without her vehicle, prompting Pol Col Sompong to order a warrant to search Juree's house, but the raid failed to uncover any evidence.

Pol Col Sompong said investigators are still looking for Juree and believe she will eventually be caught.

"It is difficult to arrest Juree as some of her relatives are influential in Hat Yai, and may have helped her to elude the arrest," he said.

"It's a challenging case but we're confident everything will be solved soon," he added.