American charged in killing of Thai wife

BANGKOK — Police in Thailand said Friday that they have charged a U.S. citizen from Colorado in the slaying of his pregnant Thai wife.

Jason Matthew Balzer, 32, was interrogated Friday in the northern city of Nan, where he had lived with Pitchaporn Kidchob, said police Lt. Col. Somkiat Ruam-ngern. The murder charge carries a maximum penalty of death.

Balzer was arrested Thursday in the northern city of Chiang Mai and confessed to killing his 32-year-old wife, said police Maj. Gen. Weerachon Boontawee. It was unclear if Balzer had a lawyer. His last known residence in the U.S. was in Longmont, Colo.

According to Weerachon, Balzer said Pitchaporn had “given him hope,” so he married her and bought her a house in Nan, her home province. Balzer said he grew enraged when she tried to chase him out, so he stabbed her with a knife, the police officer said.

He said Balzer put her body in a rubbish bin that he sealed and buried in the woods about 3 miles from their home.

Balzer, a computer programmer, met Pitchaporn in Thailand in 2017 and they were married in the U.S., after which Balzer quit his job, sold all his property and moved to Nan, the newspaper Thai Rath reported, citing police commander Prachuab Wongsuk.

Balzer said he did not know his wife was three months pregnant, Prachuab said.