Phuket court issues arrest warrant for suspect who stabbed grocer to death

The Phuket Provincial Court issued an arrest warrant for a suspect who allegedly stabbed a grocer to death in the main city district on Saturday. The incident is believed to have occurred following a dispute with a former customer.

Phuket City Police Captain Wichit Nokkaew said that the Phuket Provincial Court issued an arrest warrant for 34 year old Tarapong ‘Jack’ Nepbua, from the southern Phatthalung province. Jack faces charges of attacking another person and causing death in a public area by using a knife.

Captain Wichit stated that Jack fled to his hometown in Phatthalung after the incident. The Phuket Express reported last night that Phatthalung Police were on the prowl for the suspect as of press time.

Jack allegedly fatally stabbed the victim, 35 year old Wanchai Butdee, at his grocery store on Sri Saena Road in Talad Yai sub-district of Phuket’s main city district. The incident occurred at 1.30am on Saturday.

Witnesses told Phuket City police that a man and a woman in a pickup truck stopped in front of Wancha’s grocery store. They said the suspect went straight to Wanchai, stabbing and slashing his head and neck before he and the woman dashed away in the pickup truck.

Police later learned that on May 2, the same man and the woman were drinking alcohol at the grocery store, when Wanchai asked them to leave. This led to a confrontation and a stare-down between the two parties, however, the suspects eventually left.

Last month, there was another fatal stabbing in Phuket.

On April 13, a Phuket kitchen staffer stabbed his colleague to death in the car park of a well-known hotel in Cherng Talay. The 20 year old male suspect stabbed the 23 year old male victim in the stomach. Police believed the incident was caused by an ongoing conflict between the two men.