Canadian Family Demands Justice For Pai Killing

[GungaDin]

I rec'd this message yesterday.

Just had a message from Commissioner Surasee Kosolnavin of the Thai National Human Rights Commission.

A team from the Department of Special Imnvestigation was today sent to Chiang Mai to complete enwquiries there and in Pai.

I know nothing more.

[sriracha john]

Accused murderer Sargent Uthai Dechawiwat

Thai officer jailed, accused of killing Calgary man

A Thai police sergeant charged in the shooting death of a Calgary man was remanded into custody Wednesday.

Leo Del Pinto, 25, died in January after being shot twice in the northern Thai town of Pai. His friend, Carly Reisig, was also shot, but survived.

Sgt. Uthai Dechawiwat, off duty at the time of the incident, was arrested and charged with premeditated murder. However, he remained at his job and was transferred to another district.

On Wednesday, Dechawiwat was transported about 800 kilometres from northern Thailand to Bangkok, where he was denied bail and remanded into custody, said freelance reporter Andrew Drummond.

Drummond reported that the trial will be held in Bangkok rather than in northern Thailand.

Del Pinto's family in Calgary has been leading a high-profile campaign to ensure that the shooting be treated seriously in Thailand and that the judicial process be transparent.

Ernie Del Pinto, Leo's father, said he has mixed feelings on hearing of the officer's jailing.

"Just because he goes to jail is not a closing to me. Closing to me is when the trial ... is done then it's going to be some sort of a close. I've been waiting for this for the longest time," he told CBC News.

"It's eight months too late. It should have been done eight months ago, but I'm happy with the results of today's report."

He said the family plans to fly to Thailand for the trial.

Shortly after the shooting, Dechawiwat said he was trying to break up a fight and was struggling with Del Pinto for the gun in self-defence when it accidentally discharged.

Local police collected witness statements in the tourist town that corroborated Dechawiwat's version of events.

But two witnesses stepped forward with a different account. They alleged Reisig was pistol-whipped and then shot in the chest.

According to the two, the gun was then turned toward Del Pinto while he had his hands in the air, Drummond reported.

The witnesses are in protective custody.

In February, Thailand's human rights commission published a report suggesting police botched their investigation into the shootings.

CBC News (Canada) / 2008-10-15

Edited October 16, 2008 by sabaijai

[Loaded]

A Thai police sergeant charged in the shooting death of a Calgary man was remanded into custody Wednesday.

Drummond reported that the trial will be held in Bangkok rather than in northern Thailand.

Fantastic news.

Hopefully there will be no obligation debts (buhn khun) to protect him in Bangkok. Witnesses won't need to travel to the North either and will feel a little less exposed.

Thanks SJ for the update.

[GungaDin]

Great news, but 8 months at liberty!!!

Let's hope the 3 murderers of Dale Henry come to trial soon.

They are still on the streets.

Thai justice is weird.

[sriracha john]

No bail for Thai cop in Calgarian's murder case

News that a Thai police officer accused of killing a Calgary man is in custody has brought the victim's father to tears.

Thai police Sgt. Uthai Dechawiwat was denied bail and remanded in custody in Bangkok yesterday, after being formally charged with the murder of Leo Del Pinto and the attempted murder of Carly Reisig, said Adriano Iovinelli, the Del Pinto family's lawyer.

"Ernie Del Pinto was crying, he was just moved by this," Iovinelli said last night about the victim's father. "There was a concern that nothing would happen -- that maybe the investigation would go away."

Although Dechawiwat was initially charged with premeditated murder and attempted murder in connection with the January shooting, he pleaded not guilty soon after the incident and was released on bail.

The case against the accused was strengthened by two Thai witnesses who came forward after being granted witness protection, said Iovinelli.

Del Pinto, 25, was shot twice from point-blank range, once in the stomach and once in the face, in the town of Pai on Jan. 8.

Reisig, Del Pinto's travel companion from Chilliwack, B.C., was shot once in the chest, but survived and has returned to Canada.

Dechawiwat is expected to return to court within 10 days to enter a plea.

- Calgary Sun / 2008-10-16

[sriracha john]

No bail for Thai cop in Calgarian's murder case

News that a Thai police officer accused of killing a Calgary man is in custody has brought the victim's father to tears.

Thai police Sgt. Uthai Dechawiwat was denied bail and remanded in custody in Bangkok yesterday, after being formally charged with the murder of Leo Del Pinto and the attempted murder of Carly Reisig, said Adriano Iovinelli, the Del Pinto family's lawyer.

Thai cop, charged with killing Canadian, released

CALGARY -- An off-duty police officer charged in the shooting death of a Canadian in Thailand has been released from prison because there was a problem with part of the investigation -- a move that has angered the victim's family in Calgary.

Leo Del Pinto's father says he learned Friday that Sgt. Uthai Dechawiwat had been released. "We, as a family, are upset. My wife is just devastated," Ernie Del Pinto said Sunday. "I don't know what it was like on Friday, if it was sunny; I was so miserable."

Mr. Dechawiwat has been charged with premeditated murder and attempted murder in the Jan. 6 shooting in the small town of Pai in northern Thailand. Leo, 25, was killed and his friend, Carly Reisig, was injured in the incident.

Dechawiwat has insisted the shooting was an accident - the result of a struggle. The Pai police officer was off duty when the shooting happened.

Until now, he had been behind bars in Bangkok awaiting trial after he was denied bail in mid-October following an arraignment hearing.

Ernie said he was told part of the police investigation in Pai was not completed the way it should have been, resulting in Dechawiwat's release. "It happens to be the Pai police department that missed a part in their investigation," Ernie said.

The Department of Special Investigation - a Thai federal agency - was officially appointed in April to also independently investigate the shooting.

Ernie said if the Pai police missed something, he could not understand why it was not caught by others looking into the shooting. "They [the Pai police] definitely missed something. If it was by error, or if they wanted to, it should have never been missed by anyone else."

Ernie said he has been told the case will go on and the charges against Dechawiwat still stand. "I've been reassured this procedure will continue," he said. "All I want is a trial date."

Ernie and several other family members plan to travel to Thailand when the trial does go ahead.

- Calgary Herald (Canada) / 2008-11-25

[Mosha]

Sounds terribly similar to events in Ranong. That trial will be in July, but the accused are running around free.

[YaiJung]

Sad, but not unexpected. There are tons of murderers/criminals running around free in Thailand. The place is a mess and the Thai cops/authorities have ZERO CREDIBILITY.

It really pisses me off to hear how the victim's family is being treated. Hate to say it, but dealing with the Thais will no doubt bring more grief to them as they will be lied to and misled until they finally give up. It's the "Thai way" to let them discover for themselves that nothing will really be done.

I only hope that they can somehow find peace. My heart goes out to them.

[Shah Jahan]

Uthai has been seen wandering around the streets of Pai the last few days. I even saw him perched up at a roadside bar full of foreigners trying to pick up on some english girls who had no idea he was the killer cop. he was wearing a yellow shirt and looked like a broken man. I could not determine if he was carrying a sidearm.

[GungaDin]

Sgt. Uthai Dechawiwat One of Thailand's finest!

Keep tabs on this gentleman in Pai.

Thai police shooting case abandoned. Policeman freed

[tampasailor]

Family of Calgary man killed in Thai police shooting urges Canada to intervene

Woman says slain friend saved her in Thailand

Updated Mon. Jan. 7 2008 8:21 PM ET

CTV.ca News Staff

A Canadian woman in Thailand says she was saved by her friend who was allegedly shot twice by a Thai police officer, who then fired a bullet into her chest.

"He saved my life by giving his own," Carly Reisig of Chilliwack, B.C. told The Canadian Press by phone from her hospital bed.

A Thai police officer has been charged with premeditated murder following the shooting death of Reisig's partner, Calgarian Leo John Del Pinto, 25.

Police Col. Sombat Panya of Pai district, in northern Mae Hong Son, said Monday that the officer told investigators that the shooting was an accident.

However, Sombat said the officer has been charged with premeditated murder, reports The Associated Press.

Pinto died early Sunday after being hit with two bullets -- one to the face and one to the torso. Reisig remains in hospital after a bullet grazed her upper left torso.

From her hospital bed in northern Thailand, Reisig told CP she was struck by a bullet that came within 2.5 centimetres of her heart -- and that she was near death on Sunday night.

Earlier reports suggested Reisig was pregnant, but she told CP the report is false.

She also denied a statement by Sombat that she and Del Pinto had been in a fight near the restaurant in Pai, Thailand, where the shooting took place.

According to Reisig, she was talking to Del Pinto when a man punched her in the forehead. She said Del Pinto defended her and the man pulled a gun.

She said Del Pinto was shot in the face and the stomach and that then she was shot.

In an earlier report, Sombat claimed the couple was arguing, that their argument turned physical outside the bar and when Sgt. Uthai Dechawiwat tried to intervene, the couple attacked him.

The officer told investigators that Del Pinto tried to grab his pistol and then the gun "accidentally went off" three times, said Sombat.

Despite the claim, Uthai was charged with premeditated murder in Del Pinto's death and with "intent to kill" in connection with Reisig's shooting. The officer has been released on bail.

The couple had been renting a home in Mae Hong Son, located on the border with Myanmar, for several years. They reportedly took regular trips in and out of Thailand to have their short-term tourist visas extended.

A Canadian Embassy spokesman in Bangkok was not immediately available for comment.

Family reaction

Ernie Del Pinto mourned the loss of his son, telling CTV Calgary on Monday that he believes Leo was shot in "cold blood."

"I think (the policeman) was trigger happy, because if my boy saw this man in a uniform, my boy would have turned around and walked away."

The family is calling on the federal government to investigate.

"We expect our government to act in a swift and efficient manner in ensuring that this tragedy is investigated thoroughly and the person or persons who responsible for this act are held accountable and are brought to justice," Ross Fortune, Leo's brother-in-law, read from a statement.

The Del Pinto family is also asking Canada's foreign affairs department to help them weed through the red tape to bring home Leo's body as soon as possible.

With files from The Canadian Press and The Associated Press and a report from CTV Calgary

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/stor...me=&no_ads=

Show your support for the Justice for Leo Fund by signing this petition.

To: The Right Honourable Prime Minister of Canada Stephen Harper

On January 6, 2008, Canadian, Leo John Del Pinto was shot to death in Pai, Thailand, by officer Sgt. Uthai Daechawiwat of the Pai Police Department. Leo Del Pinto was shot once in the face and once in the chest and his Canadian travel companion Carly Reisig, was shot once in the chest and barely survived the incident. Sgt. Uthai Daechawiwat who was off duty at the time, claimed his gun went off accidentally three times, however all forensic information collected and analyzed by the Thai Department of Special Investigations and witness accounts of the incident contradicts an accidential shooting.

The Thai Ambassador to Canada, His Excellency Snanchart Devahastin indicated on January 22, 2008, that the investigation of the death of Leo Del Pinto would be speedy and transparent. To this date the investigation has been conducted by three seperate Thai Government organizations with still no answer.

We as Canadain citizens wish to express our deepest concern regarding the investigation and government response to Leo Del Pinto's death. We as Canadians expect our own governement to be our voice and express our concerns to the Thai government, not only for Leo Del Pinto, but for the safety of all Canadians travelling abroad.

Please do not let this investigation be brushed aside, show Canadians that the Canadian government cares for it's citizens regardless of where their tragedies occur.

Sign the Petition View the Petition

http://justiceforleo.com/petition

Edited January 5, 2009 by tampasailor

[LaoPo]

Family of Calgary man killed in Thai police shooting urges Canada to intervene

Woman says slain friend saved her in Thailand

Updated Mon. Jan. 7 2008 8:21 PM ET

I'm sure you have very good intentions but it there a reason to post the articles from 1 year ago ? Is there more news from Canada ?

LaoPo

[tampasailor]

Family of Calgary man killed in Thai police shooting urges Canada to intervene

Woman says slain friend saved her in Thailand

Updated Mon. Jan. 7 2008 8:21 PM ET

I'm sure you have very good intentions but it there a reason to post the articles from 1 year ago ? Is there more news from Canada ?

LaoPo

LaoPo, just fill in news on an old subject of interest to Canadians.

Three Canadains murdered in Thailand in the last year.

Here is some more on a NEW SLAYING OF A CANADIAN IN THAILAND

OLIVER MOORE AND ANDREW DRUMMOND

Toronto Globe and Mail Update

February 20, 2009

Bangkok - The father of a Canadian slain in Thailand said he tried to warn his son to leave the country but the young man brushed off his concerns.

Thai police said that 34-year-old Francis Alex Degioanni, whom they characterized as a wealthy property developer, was gunned down Thursday. Investigators believe his death was related to his business activities.

The victim's father, Mario Degioanni, said the recent business dispute between his son and his son's partners had heightened his concern.

"All the time worried. All the time, all the time, all the time," he said in a telephone interview Friday from his home in Val-des-Monts, Quebec.

But his son appeared unconcerned.

"He always said to me, he used to phone me twice a week, he said to me, 'There's no danger.'" said the 68-year-old Mr. Degioanni.

Mr. Deogianni described his son as a carefree man "always laughing." He grew up Pierrefonds, Que., and was educated at Valley Forge Military Academy and College in Pennsylvania. He moved to Thailand in his mid-20s.

His father said he was drawn to Thailand nine years ago because of its incredible physical beauty. He had since married a Thai woman and had a daughter. The couple was about to celebrate his birthday Thursday when he received a call. He told his wife that he had to deal with some urgent business.

As the victim drove away from his Patong Beach condo, on the popular tourist island of Phuket, witnesses said he was approached by gunmen. The men, both said to have had short, military-style haircuts, shot him eight times with .38 calibre pistols. He was wounded in the head, neck, chest and one arm.

"When I heard the shots I rushed down," said his wife, 22-year-old Tawadee Pencharoenwattana. "He was still alive and I dragged him across to the passenger seat and drove him to the hospital but he died before I reached it. We have only been living here six months."

A spokesperson for the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade confirmed that a Canadian had been killed in Thailand but, citing privacy law, offered no further details.

Police at the crime scene said they believe the shooting was business related.

"The Canadian was very wealthy and had been involved in property development in Phuket for over five years," Police Superintendent Krissak Songmoonmak said.

"We know he was in dispute with his Thai business partner and had claimed he had been cheated out of 20 million baht ($704,584 Canadian). That matter is already in the courts."

The victim's father questioned the description "very wealthy" but said his son had been successful selling condos to foreigners. He was almost finished moving his current inventory and was planning a visit back to Canada in the spring.

Instead his family received news Thursday that he had been slain. His mother flew straight to Thailand to arrange the body's transport home and to try to secure custody of his daughter.

Last year Canadian Leo Del Pinto, aged 24, from Calgary, was allegedly gunned down by a Thai policeman in the northern Thai village of Pai. The trial was abandoned late last year and the Department of Special Investigations has been asked to prepare a new case.

Also murdered in Thailand last year was Dale Henry, originally from B.C., but who spent much of his life as a paramedic and firefighter in Calgary. Police have arrested his Thai wife, her lover, and a hit man in connection with the shooting at his home in Thailand's Ranong Province, a case that is still going through the courts.

[canuck1941]

as to the family my heart is with you.

When on thaivisa I read many threads about the value of a human life in Asia. It is worth more than a Canadians life,

the Government of Canada puts politically correct as the agenda to uphold not the life of a Canadian.

The usual from the govt of Canada send a letter..Whipty <deleted>,,do.

I wounder what the Americans would do or Australia Brittan they would be on the Thai govt like a pit bull on a bone.

I was talking to some one in connected with the Australian embassy and said the canadian embassy is useless and they smiled as to say they knew what I was talking about.

Perhaps your informant was smiling at your naivity. You know, things aren't always what they seem on the surface.

[tomyummer]

Man this story sucks. What a typically frustrating bind. Hearts out to the Del Pintos.

What a pile of dung. "It was an accident."

"I accidentally raised my gun to his head and shot him, then again in the chest."

I hope they 'accidentally' solve this case and 'accidentally' throw this cop off the mountain in Pai. Oops, I 'accidentally' thought out loud and may have 'accidentally' provoked a violent retaliation. It was an accident.

[Lovat]

Man this story sucks. What a typically frustrating bind. Hearts out to the Del Pintos.

What a pile of dung. "It was an accident."

"I accidentally raised my gun to his head and shot him, then again in the chest."

I hope they 'accidentally' solve this case and 'accidentally' throw this cop off the mountain in Pai. Oops, I 'accidentally' thought out loud and may have 'accidentally' provoked a violent retaliation. It was an accident.

Not only that but this policeman killed again this weekend according to Andrew Drummond:realangry:

[tomyummer]

Som nam na. Too bad it was his own wife (and child). It should've been one of his (beeeeeep. self imposed censoring so as not to promote violence) trying to lie for him about the incident, or the whole police (beeeeep) for that matter. That's what you get letting a criminal out on the street.

Most likely another accident. The wife ran into that 2 x 4, by accident.

[Buchholz]

New charges for Thai officer accused of Calgarian's murder

A Thai police officer accused of killing a Calgary man is again facing murder charges. Leo Del Pinto, 25, was shot twice while visiting northern Thailand in January 2008. An off-duty Thai police officer, Sgt. Uthai Dechawiwat, was charged with his murder. Those charges are still in court. On Monday morning, Del Pinto's father received a call from a government official and was told that Dechawiwat has now been arrested for allegedly killing his pregnant wife. Ernie Del Pinto said he's angry and frustrated.

"They wouldn't put this man in jail when he killed my son, but now apparently he's in jail because he killed his wife and his child," Del Pinto told CBC News. "That doesn't make sense to me. If they would have put him in jail the first time, I would assume that these people could have saved these two lives." Thai police initially reported that Leo and Chilliwack, B.C., resident Carly Reisig had a fight while drinking at a bar. The fight escalated outside and turned physical when a police officer tried to intervene, said Col. Sombat Panya of Pai district in northern Mae Hong Son. Dechawiwat told Thai investigators the pair attacked him when he tried to intervene, and that his gun "accidentally went off" three times as he tried to defend himself. "How many more does this man have to kill for him to be punished and prosecuted in a timely manner," Del Pinto said. "It's taken two and a half years for me to get him through pre-trial, where it should have taken six months. Not even." He said he hopes the new charges will help speed up his son's murder trial.

Continues:

http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2010/09/20/calgary-thailand-police-officer-shooting-canadian.html?ref=rss

CBC News (Canada) - September 20, 2010

[neverdie]

Yeah, theres no doubt about it, this guy is SCUM. I wonder how many more people he will be allowed to kill before he is locked up permanently.

[jackr]

Yes, a real piece of <deleted> who needs doing with his own 2x4. Bent cops who do crap like this are the absolute lowest of the low.

[geriatrickid]

He had only been married 2 weeks and she was reportedly four months pregnant when she was hit in the head with a piece of wood and died. The police sergeant fled the scene but was later arrested

As reported by Global News: Monday, September 20, 2010 5:03 PM

No need to comment is there?

[Buchholz]

Just to add her age was but 18.

Sgt. Uthai Dechawiwat One of Thailand's finest!

Keep tabs on this gentleman in Pai.

Thai police shooting case abandoned. Policeman freed

He's 39, btw.

Thai cop in city man's murder allegedly killed again

The Thai police officer charged with killing a Calgary man two years ago is now accused of clubbing his pregnant teenage bride to death. The 18-yr-old, reported to be four months pregnant, was found dead only weeks after she married Uthai Dechawiwat, who is now in custody, according to reports out of Thailand.

Dechawiwat, a former police sergeant, is awaiting trial for gunning down 25-yr-old Calgary backpacker Leo Del Pinto in January 2008, and wounding his companion, Carly Reisig.

Continues:

http://www.calgarysun.com/news/alberta/2010/09/20/15414621.html

Calgary Sun - September 20, 2010

Edited September 21, 2010 by Buchholz

[Lovat]

He had only been married 2 weeks and she was reportedly four months pregnant when she was hit in the head with a piece of wood and died. The police sergeant fled the scene but was later arrested

As reported by Global News: Monday, September 20, 2010 5:03 PM

No need to comment is there?

Cent points pour L'enfant geriatric - for once you are concise and accurate. This was actually reported in Thailand first (for once) though.

Where are the posters now who maintained at the time that this policeman killed in defence and that Carly Reisig brought the shootings on herself and Leo Del Pinto?

There is another thread on this btw which admin locked as they could not establish whether the story was true.

Edited September 21, 2010 by Lovat

[Steely Dan]

So very sad and so very predictable. A walking waste of DNA and disgrace to the species is not only released from jail but allowed to continue policing (sic) which allowed him ample time to intimidate witnesses to his crime. It was only a matter of time before his psychopathic nature claimed another victim and this time I suspect bail will not be forthcoming.

The most disturbing question in all of this is how the hel_l was he given bail in the first place and had he not killed again would the case of the murdered Canadian EVER have got through the justice system. I continue to be amazed by Thailand's teflon ability to have such a dysfunctional justice system but never be brought to book for this by any foreign diplomats.

[slapout]

With the reported fondness for drink the man has and inability to maintain control of his actions, a local vigilante committee could probably improve or cure the problem. Three lives taken, another individual wounded in two and a half years, wonder what his record prior to these two incidents was? Incidents involving police seem quite frequent and many while they are off duty. Maybe a holding compound for the off duty force for isolation for the good of the public, could be built into the police budget.

[JusMe]

Shouldn't he have been up for a promotion? After all, another policeman already indicted in an internationally influential case just received a major promotion. Of course, the Saudi embassy complains, but does anyone think he might get a transfer to somewhere south rather than the Headquarters promotion?

[evanson]

New charges for Thai officer accused of Calgarian's murder

A Thai police officer accused of killing a Calgary man is again facing murder charges. Leo Del Pinto, 25, was shot twice while visiting northern Thailand in January 2008. An off-duty Thai police officer, ]Sgt. Uthai Dechawiwat, was charged with his murder. Those charges are still in court . On Monday morning, Del Pinto's father received a call from a government official and was told that Dechawiwat has now been arrested for allegedly killing his pregnant wife. Ernie Del Pinto said he's angry and frustrated.

"They wouldn't put this man in jail when he killed my son, but now apparently he's in jail because he killed his wife and his child," Del Pinto told CBC News . "That doesn't make sense to me. If they would have put him in jail the first time, I would assume that these people could have saved these two lives." Thai police initially reported that Leo and Chilliwack, B.C., resident Carly Reisig had a fight while drinking at a bar. The fight escalated outside and turned physical when a police officer tried to intervene, said Col. Sombat Panya of Pai district in northern Mae Hong Son. Dechawiwat told Thai investigators the pair attacked him when he tried to intervene, and that his gun "accidentally went off" three times as he tried to defend himself. "How many more does this man have to kill for him to be punished and prosecuted in a timely manner," Del Pinto said. "It's taken two and a half years for me to get him through pre-trial, where it should have taken six months. Not even." He said he hopes the new charges will help speed up his son's murder trial.

Continues:

http://www.cbc.ca/wo...an.html?ref=rss

CBC News (Canada) - September 20, 2010

The judicial system, and even those within it, agree it, along with the police force, are long overdue for a complete overhaul.

How come this case is still in the court after getting on for two years? (and don't trot out the old 'well lawyers make money out of these prolonged cases', even they agree it's a stagnating, moribund system), and they're brand new cases for them every day, why? Couldn't be anything to do with the fact that every time you go to court for something as simple as signing your signature it takes up half the day, what with the 'administration' staff needing to chat, gin khao, forgetting the case number, just plain arsed can't be bothered) can it?

And what, if any, criteria re mental, intellectual:lol:, psychological evaluations (even at it their most basic), are these 'wannabe cadets' subject to before admittance to The Royal Police Force?

Edited September 22, 2010 by sbk
extreme font changes removed

[Wallaby]

Well if it was my son I'm wouldn't care if he was out on bail. Actually that would be preferrable to me...................and I wouldn't care about the consequences to myself.

[caf]

Yeah, theres no doubt about it, this guy is SCUM. I wonder how many more people he will be allowed to kill before he is locked up permanently.

He probably won't be locked up permanently. THAT is the problem here.

[Lovat]

Yeah, theres no doubt about it, this guy is SCUM. I wonder how many more people he will be allowed to kill before he is locked up permanently.

He probably won't be locked up permanently. THAT is the problem here.

I think I am probably right in saying that no only did he get bail, but he was not even suspended from duty, and as a nomal copy again in Pai when the latest incident happened. Nor has the trial for the murder of Del Pinto actually started.