Friday, August 12, 2016

Remembering the 1991 victims of Wat Prom Kunaram in Arizona

On the 25th anniversary of what has been called the worst mass murder in Arizona history, the Buddhist community held a special ceremony to honor the lives lost.


On August, 1991, nine people including six monks, a novice monk, a nun and an employee of the temple were murdered execution style by two men who robbed the temple for $2,600 in cash and some audio/visual equipment. Johnathan Doody and his accomplice Allesandro Garcia are serving life sentences for the crime.

 The victims included Pairuch Kanthong, the abbott; the monks Surichai Anuttaro, Boochuay Chaiyarach, Chalerm Chantapim, Siang Ginggaeo, and Somsak Sopha; the nun, Foy Sripanpasert; her nephew, Matthew Miller, who was a novice monk; and a temple employee, Chirasak Chirapong.


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