American Facing Death Penalty In Thailand For Killing His Pregnant Thai Wife

A U.S. citizen charged with killing his pregnant Thai wife in Thailand, the same American man was accused of second-degree attempted murder of a woman in the U.S in 2019.

This is by far one of the most tragic and bizarre stories between a foreigner married to a Thai lady I ever heard.

Jason Matthew Balzer, who works as a programmer, is 32 years old, met his Thai wife Pitchaporn Kidchob in Thailand in 2017. They went back to the U.S. to get married. Then Jason quit his job, sold his property and moved to Nan in Thailand to live with his Thai wife. There is another reason why he moved there, I’ll tell you in a second.

Jason was arrested in Chiang Mai, Thailand, on Thursday, May 6. He fled to Chiang Mai since there are more foreigners, thinking he would blend in and not easily get caught compared to a small town where he lives.

BTW, there are hardly any foreigners or tourists inside Thailand at the moment, even domestic tourists, because of the travel restrictions, including Chiang Mai.

There are also cameras everywhere, at checkpoints, apartments, condos, shopping malls, you name it. The Thai police tracked him straight to his friend’s house in Chaing Mai. Even cameras in your jail cell awaiting your sentence.

The following day, the head of the Thailand provincial police detective department said Jason confessed to the killing of Pitchaporn. His pregnant Thai wife was also 32 years old.

The murder charge in Thailand carries a maximum penalty of death. Although, I think that is unlikely to happen to a foreigner, especially if they are American—most likely life in a Thai prison.

According to U.S. court documents reported from U.S. media, the victim from the first attempted murder case met Jason around 2017 and later left Thailand to live with him in the United States.

According to an arrest affidavit in the U.S., in 2019, the victim rejected Jason’s attempt to have sex with her, he allegedly pointed a gun at her and said, “I will kill you,“

The document also stated the victim pushed the gun away, and it fired next to her head. She escaped and told police Jason also strangle her two weeks before when he accused her of cheating on him.

As a result, according to a U.S. media outlet from Colorado reported in December 2019. Jason had initially been charged with attempted second-degree murder and six related charges, but the victim went back to Thailand and did not want to return to Colorado to testify.

Instead, Jason pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of third-degree assault in Boulder District Court and was sentenced to two years of probation. But he allegedly jumped bail and fled to Thailand.
According to ABC News,

“The name of the woman Jason Matthew Balzer was accused of attempting to kill while living in Longmont, Colorado, was redacted from court records. However, a spokesperson for the 20th Judicial District Attorney’s Office, Shannon Carbone, said the victim in the domestic violence case and the woman killed in Thailand have the same name and appear to be the same person based on photographs of her in the media. The office has not received any official information about the victim in Thailand, she said.”

The U.S. official believes Pitchaporn was the victim in the attempted murder case in Colorado as well.

The Greeley Tribune reported that Jason and a second man were stopped by police on Dec. 30 last year in the town of Mead in Colorado for a possible traffic violation and were found to be transporting 72 guns.

The report said Jason was arrested for 74 violations of a protection order, two felony counts of possession of an illegal weapon and two counts of possession of a dangerous weapon. (wait, they found 72 guns, and they only get two counts of possession of a dangerous weapon) He was released from custody after posting bail.

According to the Thai police, Pitchaporn gave him hope, so he married her and brought her a house in Nan province, which is her home province. The Thai police also said Jason became furious when Pitchaporn tried to chase him out, so he stabbed her with a knife.

According to other news media, the couple argued about a new motorbike Jason purchased before the alleged stabbing incident. Neighbours told police that they heard the couple arguing on the night Pitchaporn was allegedly killed.
Jason then put her body in a green garbage bin and hide it in the woods about 3 miles from her home. People can smell the body when they drove by the road, and that’s how they found her.

He then drove his bike to stay with his friends in Chiang Mai, where he was arrested.

Jason said he did not know his wife was two months pregnant.

This is a very tragic case. I hope that he will be held fully responsible for the murder.

I have one question here; last time I checked, you needed a criminal background check in your home country to get a long-term visa in Thailand, assuming he has a marriage visa. So how can Jason enter when he has been charged for all sorts of allegations in the U.S.?

I look at the Royal Thai Embassy website in Washington, it appears they took out the police clearance requirement.
So, people with criminal backgrounds can now apply for a long-term visa for Thailand in their home country, like a marriage visa. Again I’m assuming it’s the marriage visa.

Do you think Thai immigration needs to bring back the criminal background check for people applying for a long-term Thai visa, or is it ok as there are already too many requirements?

I’m not blaming Thai immigration anything; I’m just surprised someone like Jason, who initially been charged with attempted second-degree murder and six related charges in the U.S., was allowed a visa here.

If you want to read more about Thai news for foreigners. Check out other articles below.