American Man Killed in Bangkok in Apparent Love-Triangle Clash

Terry Felix On February 23, 2026 - 3:31 pm In Asia Pacific 2mn Read

BANGKOK, Feb 23, 2026 — A 54-year-old American man was killed in a street altercation in Bangkok on Monday in what Thai police described as a dispute involving his former girlfriend and her current partner.

Police identified the deceased as Stein Cole, a U.S. national originally from California. The incident occurred around 4:30 p.m. outside a shop in the Bangmod district of the Thai capital.

Authorities said Cole had been speaking with his former girlfriend, a 24-year-old Thai woman, when her current partner, 26, and three other men allegedly intervened. The confrontation escalated into violence, during which Cole was fatally stabbed and beaten.

Police said officers arriving at the scene found Cole with multiple stab wounds and severe injuries. A knife and a metal pipe were recovered nearby. One of the suspects was also injured during the altercation and taken to hospital.

Four Thai nationals — including the woman’s current partner and her brother — were charged with jointly assaulting another person causing death, police said. The suspects told investigators they had not intended to kill Cole but that the situation spiraled out of control.

Colonel Sonchai Poonphol, superintendent of Bangmod Police Station, said Cole had allegedly been following his former girlfriend after their breakup and had appeared at the location carrying a knife. Police are investigating whether he initiated the confrontation.

Local residents told reporters that the American had lived alone in the neighborhood for several months and that disputes between him and the woman had previously been heard.

The U.S. Embassy in Bangkok has not publicly commented on the incident.

Daily Mail