Police are now obliged to report incidents of domestic violence, but laws punishing wife-beaters have yet to be passed.
"There hasn't been a specific law outlawing domestic violence yet," said Lucita Lazo, head in Thailand of the UN women's organization UNIFEM.
The university lecturer said his wife had been unfaithful and judges cited the emotional distress of losing a loved one and jealous rage as grounds for leniency.
The verdict last year incensed women's groups and much of the general public who said men would not be discouraged from battering wives.
"You can get away with murder if you have a doctorate degree and know how to play golf," wrote columnist Dinsordome in the Thai-language Daily News newspaper.
But the murder has helped the crusade against domestic abuse by raising its profile in the media and sparking debate about attitudes to violence in the home.
"The case has helped raise consciousness of domestic violence and has enabled more women to speak out and realize it isn't OK to wait until you die," said Usa.
Tui, who received bail assistance from the Foundation for Women, earns 2,000 baht (US$50) a month as a laundress, eking out a living with her children in a one-room home on Bangkok's outskirts.
But she still thinks she's better off.
"If these men see other people get away with it, they think they can do it," said Tui, rubbing an aching shoulder. "Domestic abusers should be punished, not left alone like my husband."
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