Suspect Sukolrapong “Beach” Kaewsuwan, 27, was arrested on Monday, Wichit Police Chief Col Nikorn Somsuk told the press yesterday (June 4). (See story here.)
Fellow suspects Sukaray “Chuk” Jitnaree, 27, Peerawat “Sam” Saewong, 28, and Naruebeth “Low” Petchmak, 20, were all arrested yesterday, he added.
The arrests followed the discovery of heavily decomposed remains in jungle undergrowth beside the Ao Yon - Khao Khad coastal road on Saturday.
The remains were soon identified by the victim’s parents to be those of 24-year-old Sathaporn “Tek” Yindee, well known among his friends as a spirit medium who took part in the annual Phuket Vegetarian Festival. (See story here.)
“All four of them revealed their plan to commit murder,” Phuket Provincial Police Deputy Commander Col Witoon Kongsudjai told the press yesterday.
Wichit Police Chief Col Nikorn added that the killing was the culmination of an ongoing dispute between Sathaporn and the four suspects.
He also noted that the suspects had claimed that Sathaporn had threatened to kill one of them, and so they had reacted before that threat could be carried out.
“They admitted that a baseball bat was used to beat Sathaporn to death. They used a black Hyundai H-1 to carry the body to dump it beside the road on the night of March 16,” he said.
One of the suspects who had befriended Sathaporn had picked Sathaporn up at his house on a motorbike and drove him to a house in Chalong, where he was attacked and beaten to death with a baseball bat, the officers explained.
They then bound his hands and feet with red nylon rope and dumped his body along the Ao Yon road.
Col Nikorn declined to reveal any further details about the case, and refused to answer questions from the press about where the murder was carried out or what had started the ongoing dispute in the first place.
“Sorry I can’t tell you now. I don’t want details of this case to affect the investigation,” he said.
Col Witoon explained that the suspects are being held at Wichit Police Station and are to undergo further questioning.
“Also, the black Hyundai has been seized as evidence,” he said.
Capt Chatree Chuvichian of the Wichit Police told Khao Phuket today (June 5) that all suspects will be question with their lawyer present. (See story here.)