Man charged with murder of a transwoman found dead in canal
A male delivery rider was arrested in connection with the dead transwoman found in a canal in Pathum Thani province yesterday and charged with murder. If found guilty he could face the death penalty.
The identity of the transwoman’s body, which was found in the Song Canal yesterday, was confirmed as 29 year old Piyada Sorrakun. Her mobile phone, a designer brand necklace, and cash were stolen.
Piyada’s friends informed officers today that she parked her Mazda sedan near Lumphini Park in Bangkok because she was meeting with a man. She allegedly left with the man in another car and disappeared at 11pm on Tuesday, November 22.
Officers from Klong Luang Police Station checked the CCTV cameras where Piyada’s body was found and discovered the alleged murderer in the footage, 39 year old Yutthapon Piyawittayakorn.
Yutthapon was arrested today at a guest house in the Saen Sook sub-district in Chon Buri. He was taken to Pathum Thani’s Klong Luang Police Station where Piyada’s sister was waiting. She immediately attacked the alleged murderer before officers stopped her.
Police reported that Yutthapon confessed to Piyada’s murder so he could steal her assets. He met Piyada at Lumphini Park and when she got in his car he hit her twice on the head with a hammer.
Yutthapon threw Piyada into the canal while she was still alive. He said that he tied a dumbbell to Piyada’s body and left her to die in the Song Canal.
After that, he drove his car home, in the Sai Mai district of Bangkok, and fled to Chon Buri on a motorcycle.
Yutthapon added that transgender people were his target because he thought they were rich. He justified his action by saying he had to make a living and take care of his family.
Yutthana faces life imprisonment or the death penalty for violating Section 339 of the Criminal Law: committing a robbery by threatening or doing a violent act to the victim that leads to the victim’s death.
ORIGINAL STORY: Dead body of unidentified transwoman found in canal near Bangkok
A local fisherman found the dead body of a transwoman floating in a canal in Pathum Thani province near Bangkok. Her identity is unknown.
Officers from Klong Luang Police Station were notified of the dead body in Song Canal in the Klong Luang district of Pathum Thani yesterday at 2pm. The body was spotted floating under a wooden house along the canal.
The transwoman is believed to be aged between 18 and 25 years old. She was found wearing a brown strapless top, full-length jeans, and a ring on her left index finger. She has long brown hair, fair skin, and a tattoo on her back. She also had nose and breast surgery. Her forehead was damaged and deformed as if it had been hit by a blunt instrument.
The only possession found on her was a remote key to a Mazda car. Police believe she had been dead for about 12 to 16 hours before being discovered.
A 38 year old local man, O Saengtuam, revealed that he was fishing when he saw the dead body of the woman under the wooden house. He believes the death was the result of a fight between teenagers the night before. He said he heard the noise of a fracas at about 1am and then found the corpse the next day.
A security guard of a village near the scene, Kiattisak Nonkhuntod, told police that he saw two groups of teenagers chasing each other at midnight on the road in front of the village.
Two motorcycles with four teenagers were followed by a car. One motorcycle rider lost control and fell. The car driver got out of his vehicle and pointed a gun at the motorcycle group. Kiattisak said that he did not know what the group was talking about.
The guard added that they did not shoot at each other and later left the scene.
The woman’s body was sent to Thammasart Chaloerm Prakiat Hospital for an autopsy. The officer leading the investigation told the press that he would be checking nearby security cameras for evidence.
