Life sentence would be better. 

American convicted in concealing man's mutilated body in refrigerator, gets 43 years

By The Nation

 

The Phra Khanong Court has sentenced an American to 43 years and 10 months in jail for concealing a mutilated body in a refrigerator and passport forgery in September last year.

The court convicted Herbert Craig La Fon, 64, on seven charges. He was initially sentenced to life imprisonment but the sentence was commuted by one third because he provided useful information during his interrogation.

 

The court acquitted two other American defendants, James Douglas Eger, 67, and Aaron Thomas Gabel, 34, but ordered them to be remanded pending a decision by authorities whether to appeal their acquittal.

 

Initially, the court sentenced La Fon to life imprisonment for attempted murder of police officers, two years for concealing a body, four years for having and selling forged passports, seven years and a fine of Bt450,000 for having crystal meth for sale, three months for having marijuana in his possession, one year and six months for having ketamine in his possession and one year for having an illegal gun and ammunition in his possession. All the sentences were reduced by one third.

 

The rulings against the three defendants were read on Friday.

 

Prosecutors said the three men were found at a building on September 23, 2016, to jointly have in their possession a gun and ammunition, 4.522 grammes of crystal meth, a small bag of marijuana, and one small bottle of ketamine.

 

They were also charged with having forged passports in their possession with the intent to sell - three were French and one was American.

 

Prosecutors also said the three had collaborated to mutilate the body of Charles Edward Ditlefsen - a US citizen of Hungarian descent - and initially concealed the body in a refrigerator in a house on Soi Ekkamai 12.

 

They later moved the refrigerator to a commercial building on Soi Sukhumvi 56, prosecutors said.

 

Public said the body was concealed from late October, 2008, to late January, 2016.

 

The court was told that La Fon entered Thailand in early January, 2008, and did not pass through the immigration process.

 

The suit stated that when Phra Khanong police went to the commercial building to arrest the three, La Fon used his 9mm pistol to fire at a police officer and severely injured him. He also fought with two other officers and slightly injured them.

 

The three defendants pleaded not guilty when their charges were filed.

 

The court said in its verdict that it believed the police account of the raid on the commercial building on September 23, 2016. The three defendants were arrested following information given by an American, Donald Kramer, who was arrested on September 15, 2016, for using a forged passport.

 

Kramer told police he bought the passport at the building where La Fon lived.

 

The court was told that during the raid, three western men and a Myanmar couple were found while La Fon was on the fourth floor.

 

La Fon injured three policemen while resisting arrest and police later found the concealed body, drugs and forged passports.

 

The court ruled that La Fon's account that he knew nothing about the concealed body was unreasonable because he admitted that he had the refrigerator moved from his house to the building.

 

Although police found 52 visa rubber stamps in La Fon's room, prosecutors and police failed to prove that he made them so a charge of making fake visa rubber stamps was dismissed, the court ruled.

 

La Fon was convicted in Article 269/8 and Article 269/9 of the Criminal Code for having forged passports in his possession.

 

Charges against the two other defendants that they assisted in concealing the body were dropped as prosecutors and police failed to prove they helped La Fon. Their fingerprints were not found on the refrigerator.

 

The court said there was also no evidences to substantiate charges that the two other defendants knew about the forged passports, illegal firearms and drugs.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30334277

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2017-12-19

And with no charges laid with regards the actual murder of the freezer occupant, I suppose that’s become a really cold case.

I know one thing for sure, he is now retired. Terrible place to spend your retirement years.

16 hours ago, atyclb said:

poor bloke apparent not well read as he would have know he proper way to kill someone scott free is by hitting them at high speed in your ferrari

Or you can wrap a plastic bag over his head and ty his hands with tyraps, then it is suicide

sounds like a nasty piece of work,  dont suppose he will be missed.

12 hours ago, F4UCorsair said:

It's not uncommon In the US to see 3, 4, 5, or more, consecutive life sentences handed down.  I don't see the logic, but It happens.  Perhaps It's just to record the severity of the crime?

Yeah, I know they do that. Here's a 1,503-year sentence given recently in California. I also saw a 1400 plus year sentence given for something this week, but can't remember what it was for.

 

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/oct/23/california-man-gets-1500-year-jail-sentence-for-raping-teenage-daughter

Edited December 19, 20178 yr by tropo

6 hours ago, webfact said:

The three defendants were arrested following information given by an American, Donald Kramer, who was arrested on September 15, 2016, for using a forged passport.

 

Kramer told police he bought the passport at the building where La Fon lived.

I wonder if there will be any consequences.

 

Seems kind of silly letting a customer come to the place where you have drugs, guns, faking gear and a freaking dead body. Meeting in a bar or a car park would have been a much better option.

Thumbs up for the smirking 'generosity' of reducing the 64 year-old's sentence by a third to 'only' 43 years. Nothing like encouraging the faintest glimmer of hope. All well-deserved, of course. 

 

And on the bright side, he doesn't have to worry about doing any immigration reporting until he's 107...

On 12/18/2017 at 7:04 PM, Jingthing said:

So he'll be 106 years young when he can go back to the USA, collect social security (which will be renamed Chelseabucks) and he can enjoy living under the Baron Trump administration ... 

I believe after serving a percentage of his term, he can be moved to the USA, if there still is one after the twit is finished

Edited December 20, 20178 yr by Redline

One wonders what this nasty piece of work was wanted for in the USA? He might have been better off doing his time in the states.....TV, exercise, visits, better food. But he has managed to dodge justice for a long time. Not very smart shooting at a cop to kill him......and keeping the body parts on your property. Cut up the frozen parts and take them in the car and dump them at night bit by bit......hard to convict you of murder with no body, it can be done, but rarely. But I guess he was so involved in other criminal activities he was screwed anyway. What a lifer loser. Enjoy.....555

On ‎12‎/‎19‎/‎2017 at 11:50 AM, xtrnuno41 said:

Or you can wrap a plastic bag over his head and ty his hands with tyraps, then it is suicide

hands have to behind the back remember....or chuck the person off a balcony.

 

How do people live with themselves with body parts in their building ? how desperate are you to even start cutting up a corpse ? all signs of a complete madman.