Expat Developer Shot Dead In Patong

PHUKET: -- A Canadian property investor was shot dead on Thursday evening in Patong, police have told Phuketwan.

He was named as Francis Alex Degioanni, aged 34, and was an island resident, married to a Thai national.

Phuket's Governor, Dr Preecha Ruangjan, today called for police to solve the case as fast as possible.

Patong's Kathu police superintendent Grissak Songmoonark said he was called to the scene of the shotting about 6.45pm on Thursday.

He found a black Toyota pickup with four bullet holes in the driver's seat.

-- Phuketwan.com 2009-02-20

Canadian gunned down on his birthday

PATONG, PHUKET: -- A Canadian real estate developer died on his birthday yesterday after he was riddled with bullets by two men on a motorcycle.

At the time of the attack, Francis Alex Degioanni was sitting in his black Toyota outside his seven-story Panorama Condominium block, located in a hillside area off Nanai Rd in South Patong.

Kathu Police officers were alerted to the incident at around 8.30 pm. They hurried to the scene along with doctors from Patong Hospital and rescue workers from the Kusoldharm Foundation.

Medical examination showed Mr Degioanni had seven .38 caliber bullet wounds in his body, four in his arms, one in the head, one in the neck and one in the chest.

Mr Degioanni’s girlfriend, Nanthawadee Phenjaroenwatthana, said that before the incident the two of them were in the condo building waiting to go out to celebrate his birthday.

Mr Degioanni received a telephone call and told her he had to go out for a short while to take care of some business, she said.

When Mr Degioanni got into his car, two men pulled up on a motorbike and opened fire. They then fled, Ms Nanthawadee said.

Kathu Police Superintendent Grissak Songmoonark said that Mr Degioanni had been doing business in Phuket for five years, selling condominiums in Patong to foreign tourists.

The attack may have been the result of a business dispute, but police were also investigating other motives including romantic jealously, he said.

At the time of his death, Mr Degioanni was involved in a court case, having allegedly being cheated out of 20 million baht in a real estate scam, Col Grissak added.

When contacted by the Gazette today, an official at the Canadian Embassy cited legal reasons in declining to give any information about the case.

-- Phuket Gazette 2009-02-20

Phuket is getting closer to the wild west every day........

Scarey, life is cheap in Thailand.

Do any local expats know where the Panorama Condominium is located?

doing business in this country is crazy...if you don't have people trying to scam

you constantly, the police will gladly relieve you of your money if the opportunity exists.

buyer beware x 1000

The Phuket Wan report said the victim carried a gun which police found in the car. http://phuketwan.com/tourism/phuket-shoote...xpat-developer/ He must have known he was dealing with gangsters to carry a gun, presumably with no carry permit and probably not licenced in his own name.

As the adage goes, "Never invest more in Thailand than you're willing to lose...."

Now the stakes have been raised to risking your life. Is it worth it? Do what Thailand wants you to do, come here, spend money, check out Thailand's daughters, and leave happy...

RIP

My condolences to his family....it brings back terrible memories of being informed of my brothers murder in Ranong last year. Hopefully justice will be served but I am really wondering now about Thailands judicial system since the perpetrators in my brothers case are free roaming the streets on bail till the trial at the end of July then who knows.....tea money can buy you almost anything in Thailand. Sad....

As the adage goes, "Never invest more in Thailand than you're willing to lose...."

Now the stakes have been raised to risking your life. Is it worth it? Do what Thailand wants you to do, come here, spend money, check out Thailand's daughters, and leave happy...

RIP

all so true and good advice.

my guess is it has to do with the 20 mil baht. "businessmen" in this country just shoot you, start a fire, or blow something up if they don't get the deal they want. 20 mil baht is enough of a reason to kill a farang in this country.

Unfortunately this type of news has started to become the norm and always involves property deal, expat and murder. It was only a couple of weeks ago that the papers reported about the poor bloke who was blown away in Hua Hin over a property dispute. The way that business disputes are often settled here do not give many people confidence in making the effort to do business and that is dangerous in current unsure economic times.

My condolences to the guy’s family, and killed on his birthday, there is some real evil going on here.

More bad PR for Thailand and more negative international news coverage, welcome to Thailand, another black eye for LOS…

Wonder how close the real estate fraud case was to being concluded?

Wonder what the disposition of the case will be now?

Will the wife benefit if it is settle in the victim’s favor?

Wonder who the other party in the case is Thai or farang?

Wonder who the prime suspect is, humm?

Hope the people responsible are brought to justice soon .

Sorry man. To think I'm gonna live in Phuket!

thailand is more a country for hollidays only, specially for farang

Not at the rate even tourists expire here.

doing business in this country is crazy...if you don't have people trying to scam

you constantly, the police will gladly relieve you of your money if the opportunity exists.

buyer beware x 1000

Not only that, but every murder that occurs here, the police list "a business dispute" as motive. Is there ever a dispute not settled by murder in this country??

my guess is it has to do with the 20 mil baht. "businessmen" in this country just shoot you, start a fire, or blow something up if they don't get the deal they want. 20 mil baht is enough of a reason to kill a farang in this country.

I thought it was from 1 million up

It's amazing the jealousy of some of the paupers who post....the guy was shot running and probably minding his own business! His greed was most likely is that he would not lie down and and let greedy people of "whatever" nationality greedily rob him of 20 m THB...Since when was running a business "greedy"?

Something fishy..

34 yrs old.. Been selling property there for 5 yrs... Had developed a 7 story condo.. Had lost 20 million Baht....

Was he a lottery winner, Internet millionaire, Trust fund kid or was his Thai wife rich ?

Seems a awful lot of money made in a very short period of time

I know this has been said many times before.thailand is a place for a holiday,for retirement,or working for a farang based company only.

the minute you get invoved in property dealings/thai owned company you run the risks associated with it.many farang business people are just plain crooks and scammers too.

remember too there is very little justice for westerners here,most everything is settled with tea money or in this posters case the gun.

If you want to be safe in thailand and not lose money keep your head down and your hand in your pocket.

3 years ago on Samui, I was eating a late lunch and this farang guy and 2 Thais (in there 20-30's) came and sat down close to me.. He ordered beers and 2 packs of ciggerettes to the Thais., he then started talking about, if they were strong, and would "take out" a person. All while I could hear, so yes this is the wild west still! Money talks!

Edited February 20, 200917 yr by SamuiJens

This kind of thing upsets me of course but if this was business I can understand, this kind of stuff happens in every country but IF and I stress IF this is just another thai girl friend getting rid of the hubby and claiming the spoils now that f'ing pisses me right off !

Feel very bad for this guy and his family, he was obviosuly trying to make something of himself in an enviroment where being White makes it 1000 times more difficult so much respect to the guy.

Unfortunately this type of news has started to become the norm and always involves property deal, expat and murder. It was only a couple of weeks ago that the papers reported about the poor bloke who was blown away in Hua Hin over a property dispute. The way that business disputes are often settled here do not give many people confidence in making the effort to do business and that is dangerous in current unsure economic times.

HI -- just to set the record straight - the farang from Hua Hin was shot and wounded - standing outside his property - and this was over another property dispute with another farang developer -- the wounded farang is now in hiding out somewhere in bkk -

Is this the same Francis who is French and was the mayor's body guard a few years back, or is he only Canadian forever?

Did he own a guest house called the pink cadillac or something like this?

There seems to be an awful lot of speculation in this thread.

There seems to be an awful lot of speculation in this thread.

Agreed. And too many insensitive remarks. Just can't believe how mean some people can be.

They will be slapped with warning points.

Do any local expats know where the Panorama Condominium is located?

The Panorama Condo is currently under construction - 2 smallish buildings at the southern end of Nanai road, at soi 9, just in front of the Sun Hill hotel. BUT - we were just talking with a taxi driver friend that hangs out in that exact location, and he told us that the shooting didn't happen there - it was outside his home. Didn't catch the name of the soi, but it's not in the same immediate vicinity.

Drove past the Panorama Condo site last night at 6:15pm, and again at 8pm, and there was no sign of police activity, which would indicate that the shooting didn't occur there.

Edited February 20, 200917 yr by DrDave

And Thailand's answer to its declining image and lawlessness is to have the Ministry of Tourism promote a national drink.

Something fishy..

34 yrs old.. Been selling property there for 5 yrs... Had developed a 7 story condo.. Had lost 20 million Baht....

Was he a lottery winner, Internet millionaire, Trust fund kid or was his Thai wife rich ?

Seems a awful lot of money made in a very short period of time

Lots of people have made money in property over the last 10 yrs so, maybe he was just entrepreneurial.

Lots of these developments are made by giving the land owner a cut of the property to save paying out too much up front.

Does anyone no the age range of the foreigners inovlved in violent disputes? Like 18-

21, 22-30, etc.?

neil