Suspected gunman in Jakkrit killing arrested
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Police offer reward for information on his accomplices; close in on mastermind
With the arrest of the suspected gunman, police are now close to nailing the mastermind behind the killing of former Olympian shooter Jakkrit Panichpatikum.
A highly placed source yesterday confirmed that the self-confessed gunman, Jeerasak Klinkhai, had already named his hirer.
Following Jeerasak’s arrest, Jakkrit’s wife Nithiwadee Phucharoenyos was summoned for questioning in connection with his murder case.
Jeerasak had been on the run for weeks. Following the shooting of Jakkrit, the suspect headed back to his repair shop in Chon Buri’s Sri Racha district and resumed his normal life.
He was arrested in the shop.
Metropolitan Police Commissioner Lt-General Camronwit Toopgrajank himself announced the arrest of Jeerasak at a press conference yesterday.
“We are now going after his two accomplices as well as the mastermind,” he said. While he identified the names of the accomplices, he did not name the mastermind.
Arrest warrants have already been issued for Santi Thongsem and Tawatchai Phetchote on charges of collaborating on a pre-meditated murder.
“We’re offering cash reward of Bt100,000 for information that will lead to each arrest,” Camronwit said.
Pol Maj-General Prayont Lasuea, a commander at the Metropolitan Police Bureau, said Jeerasak had confessed to firing at Jakkrit without knowing exactly who he was.
“I was simply told to gun down the man who drove the Porsche with licence plate number 2223,” Jeerasak was quoted as speaking, “I was riding pillion on a motorcycle driven by Tawatchai”.
According to Prayont, Jeerasak said he had received Bt100,000 for the killing and Tawatchai also received the same amount of money from Santi.
On October 19, Jakkrit was fatally shot while on his way to meet his wife and their children. The couple had a rocky relationship. Earlier in the year, Nithiwadee and Jakkrit’s mother had complained publicly of his domestic violence.
Jeerasak told police that he was not a professional killer but decided to take up the killing job from Santi because his small business was not doing well.
“I was running out of cash,” Jeerasak said. He said he knew Santi through their drinking pastime.
Jakkrit’s father Manop Panichpatikum praised the police for significant progress in the case.
“For nearly one month, I have been swallowing my tears,” Manop said. He said he did not know Santi and Jeerasak at all.
The father said he did not know if Nithiwadee was really involved in the murder.
“We have not been in contact. I last saw her at the funeral of my son,” Manop said.
