BANGKOK (AP/KDVR) — A former resident of Longmont has been charged by Thai authorities with the murder of his wife and could face the death penalty.
Jason Matthew Balzer, 32, was taken into custody on Thursday in Chiang Mai, a northern city within the province of Nan, where he confessed to murdering Pitchaporn Kidchob with a knife as she tried to kick him out of their house.
Pitchaporn’s mother became worried and called the local police after she discovered blood while visiting the couple’s home and was unable to reach her by phone.
Balzer allegedly buried a sealed trash can that contained Pitchaporn’s body three miles away from the house. Following the effort to cover up the crime, he rode a motorcycle towards Chiang Mai, where Balzer was arrested.
In 2017, Balzer met Pitchaporn in Thailand before traveling to the U.S. to get married. Balzer then quit his job as a programmer, sold his property in Longmont and relocated to Nan, where he had purchased a home to start a new life in.
According to Major General Weerachon Boontawee, the chief of Provincial Police Region Five’s Detective Department, Balzer told investigators that Pitchaporn had “given him hope,” which led to his relocation to Thailand.
According to The Boulder Daily Camera, while living in Colorado, Balzer was sentenced to two years of probation after he pleaded guilty to third-degree assault. According to Longmont Police, the victim of that case was also Pitchaporn.
Last December, Balzer and a second man were pulled over in Mead for a traffic violation which led to the discovery of 72 guns, according to the Greeley Tribune. Balzer was arrested on 74 counts of violating the protection order, two felony counts of possession of an illegal weapon, and two counts of possession of a dangerous weapon.
When asked about the current ongoing case in Thailand, a police sergeant in Longmont said, “if murder happened, he’s not surprised… Longmont police are distraught this may have happened.”