Pattaya —
The trio who were accused of murdering a Pattaya-based ride-sharing driver went through a crime reenactment on Tuesday, after confessing to the murder allegations.
First our previous story:
Our previous story:
On Tuesday, January 16th, 23-year-old Mr. Thiraporn Somkham, his 51-year-old mother, Mrs. Elijah Abdulahi, and his 16-year-old girlfriend (name withheld) were accompanied by Nongprue and Huay Yai police to carry out a crime reenactment related to the murder of a Bolt driver, Mr. Thanathip Watthaisong, 31, whose body was found burned in a forest in Chonburi province last Friday.
After confessing to the murder allegations, the trio were taken to three locations to proceed with the reenactment.
The first location was a local road beside the Chak Nok Reservoir, where Mr. Thiraporn confessed to stabbing the victim to death after arguing with him over a ride fare. Thiraporn admitted that he refused to pay the fare entirely because he was broke, leading to a verbal argument with Thanathip and then Thiraporn said he lost his temper, stabbing Thanathip to death. His girlfriend, a 16-year-old minor, was also present but only watched the incident.
Subsequently, Thiraporn and his girlfriend stole the victim’s car, and with the deceased’s body hidden in the back seat, they drove the vehicle to pick up Mrs. Elijah, his mother, who he had called for advice on the situation.
The trio then stole an old tire from a local garage and bought a gallon of gasoline from a gas station on Highway 36.
They transported the body to a remote forest area. In an attempt to conceal the crime, they set the body on fire, though the body was only partially burned as it rained afterward. They then fled the scene in the victim’s car and were later arrested in Phitsanulok.
The suspect and his mother face life in prison for the brutal murder of the Bolt driver. The minor girlfriend, due to her age, will likely face significantly lesser charges, said Nongprue police.
The crime generated major discussion on Thai and English language social media, making many people aware that not only customers could potentially face danger in unknown taxis but drivers also bring aboard potentially dangerous strangers every day.
