Murder suspect almost lynched during crime enactment
The stepfather of a 19-year-student who was found naked and murdered in her Bangkok bedroom was almost lynched by angry relatives and neighbours during a crime re-enactment on Saturday morning.
Police had to whisk away Thossapol Promchart, 34, from the original crime scene, a shophouse on Soi Thidthai 22 in Thonburi district where the victim lived, as angry onlookers and the girls’ relatives threatened to attack him.
Thossapol was arrested just hours after police were alerted of the death of Thitikarn Ratana-uthai at 10am on Friday.
Police checking security-camera footage saw Thossapol leaving the shophouse and went to arrest him at a hotel in Pathumwan district where he works.
The girl’s body was found by her boyfriend who lived with her at the house. He had gone to work on a school report with friends that night and returned home at 6am on Friday.
Police said that Thossapol told them he was high on crystal meth and beer when he drove a pickup truck from his house in Lat Prao, where he lives with the girl’s mother, to the girl’s house at 1.30am on Friday.
He allegedly said he planned to rape her but the girl fought back, and so he strangled her and left the shophouse at 3am to drive back to his house.