Wanphen Pienjai Murder: American Expat Arrested In Phuket

[webfact]

Wanphen Pienjai murder: American arrested in Phuket

Murder victim Wanphen Pianjai, stabbed

to death at the age of 33 last month.

PHUKET: -- Phuket Police last night arrested an American man for last month’s brutal stabbing murder of bar hostess Wanphen Pienjai.

Phuket City Police Superintendent Wanchai Ekpornpit this afternoon confirmed the identity of the suspect as 36-year-old Donald Fanelli, a US citizen.

Mr Fanelli was arrested at his home in the Thanthong Village housing estate in Chalong at about 6pm last night.

Col Wanchai said police would hold a press conference at Phuket City Police Station tomorrow morning to announce the arrest and provide more details.

The arrest followed a lengthy and painstaking investigation that involved many hours of tracking the suspect’s movements.

Col Wanchai declined to go into detail about the motive, but said it appeared to have been related to the fact that Mr Fanelli's sexual preference was for ladyboys and that Ms Wanphen may have been ‘tracking’ his efforts to find partners.

Mr Fanelli, described as a long-term tourist, had lived at a home in Chalong with a Thai woman until the woman and her son returned to her home in the northeastern province of Mahasarakham, Col Wanchai said.

The victim’s mother, 59-year-old Sa-ard Maliwan, told the Gazette from her home in Petchaboon province that she was informed of the arrest at about 9am today.

Ms Maliwan said she was overcome with rage when informed of the arrest and said she hoped the American gets capital punishment for his crime, if found guilty.

She said she was not requested by Phuket Police to come to the island and has no plans to do so.

-- Phuket Gazette 2010-07-18

Related topics:

Murdered woman's corpse found on Phuket roadside

Phuket City Police hunt expat murder suspect

Wanphen's remains cremated in Phuket

[farangtopper1]

very good hopefully they have the correct man. He behaved like a beast so treat him like one

[DickFarang]

An Italo-American ?

The name makes me think of Farinelli, the famous castrato.

Edited July 18, 2010 by DickFarang

[sedeflonga]

Finally! If he's guilty, may he rot in hel_l!!!

[Tokay]

I'm not familiar with this story. How did they know he killed her? Or did he just go crazy in a bar and stab her to death?

Or was he defending himself from a crazed, drugged up, drunken bar girl and things got out of hand?

[Boater]

Remember innocent untill proven guilty .

I for one think they may have the wrong man . I mean if you did what he did , surly you would leave the country ?

[radiola]

wow I lived near Chalong in Rawai beach for 1 month, in 2009, so bad, and so scary!!!!!!

[Ping]

Tokay, the story has been all over the news in the Phuket Gazette and other local papers. I suggest you check the PG site for details.

It's gratifying to find that the BiB finally caught this individual - he has been the hot topic of conversation amongst Phuket expats and Thais alike for weeks. He has apparently confessed to the killing, so if he is indeed the killer, I hope he suffers the full force of Thai law.

Edited July 18, 2010 by Ping

[jfchandler]

RIP for the lady....

This is the second American this week to take a fall, after the real estate ponzi scheme guy who was arrested and to be extradited...

But ya gotta love the Thai police...

Col Wanchai declined to go into detail about the motive....

but said it appeared to have been related to the fact that Mr Fanelli's sexual preference was for ladyboys and that Ms Wanphen may have been ‘tracking’ his efforts to find partners.

Glad the colonel was declining to go into detail ahead of tomorrow's news conference.

But this is another one of those cases where ya gotta say...only in Thailand....

An attractive young woman is murdered because her BF is on the prowl for ladyboys....

[Kesi]

Agreed. Just because someone commits a crime it doesn't mean they flee the

country

[thaikahuna]

<br>Remember innocent untill proven guilty . <br><br>I for one think they may have the wrong man . I mean if you did what he did , surly you would leave the country ?<br>

<br><br>What a stupid comment. So you think the suspect's defence in court should be "it's obviously not me because I didn't leave the country". Many criminals saty where they are because it creates less suspicion and because many think they won't get caught. <br><br><br>

Agreed! Its called the premise of hiding in plain sight...

[BlackJack]

well done police of Thailand

[TheyCallmeScooter]

Former soldier. Some mental health issues. Something about his wife leaving with his son...?

Edited July 19, 2010 by Lite Beer
Link to News article in Thai deleted. English only.

[keymaker]

RIP for the lady....

This is the second American this week to take a fall, after the real estate ponzi scheme guy who was arrested and to be extradited...

The extradition rule really piss me off!

Any farang in Thailand can do every kind of illegal because in the worst case they will just be sent back home!

[Boater]

If you google his name , the is another forum running an indepth disscussion . It also includes pictures of his arrest too . He was a travel poster , so I woukd suspect he was a member of TV . I am still not 100 per cent convienced on this one after reading the other forum

[moskito]

I hope it is really the guy who killed her but anyway, before not proofed 100% guilty, NOBODY has a right to blame him for anything but taking a hooker from a bar.

After all I know the poor girl was found 6 days after he took her from a bar, so there are a lot of other possibilitys!

If he is the murderer of the girl I am glad Phuket Police worked so fast and hope he will rot in a Thaijail.

A long term tourist...too many of them here!

[Jimi007]

wow I lived near Chalong in Rawai beach for 1 month, in 2009, so bad, and so scary!!!!!!

Huh? I don't understand your comment. I've lived in Rawai for over four years. So what?

What about the Norwegian man with a Thai wife and two kids that was killed in a robbery just up the road from Icon a couple of years ago, no one was ever caught for that. Nor was there any reward offered by the police to help catch the killer like this case. But if this man, an American is really the one that did it, then it is good he was caught. But there seems to be something that doesn't fit. The article states: "Mr Fanelli, described as a long-term tourist, had lived at a home in Chalong with a Thai woman until the woman and her son returned to her home in the northeastern province of Mahasarakham, Col Wanchai said." If he had a preference for katoeys, why was he living with a women and her son until recently?

[Cholorado]

I was in Chumphon a few months ago and heard about another american that stabbed this expat over a dispute about the king.... we'll actually the american was talking really bad about the king and some brit expat punches him in the face. The american comes back and stabs this guy up (he did not die from the stab wounds), and is release after a few weeks. I just want to remind everybody from the states that every time an american does something in this country or any other country it will be scrutinized and added to the already infamous rep we have as a nation. We are already disliked by the majority of euro's I dont want to start being disliked by thais. May god's hand act swiftly and justly upon the murderer of this innocent lady.

[sirchai]

Agreed. Just because someone commits a crime it doesn't mean they flee the

country

Guess even here is a kind of DNA evidence to see if he's guilty. No Mercy if he is............

Edited July 18, 2010 by Maestro
Changed font format to default. No need to write entire post in Comic Sans MS - Maestro

[TheyCallmeScooter]

I just want to remind everybody from the states that every time an american does something in this country or any other country it will be scrutinized and added to the already infamous rep we have as a nation. We are already disliked by the majority of euro's I dont want to start being disliked by thais.

I hear sentiments like this a lot across a lot of expat groups but it always seems curious to me. I mean, the type of person who would read that reminder and think to themselves "I must really remember I am representing myself, my family, my profession and my country whilst I'm here"....they're not the guys that stab or kill or fight or steal, right? The guys that would do any of those...are so not thinking about the fact that their actions could impact negatively on others. They're trying to stab / kill / fight / steal or whatever....

I dunno. I might be being retarded. But whenever I hear that sentiment, I am always bemused.

[sirchai]

I was in Chumphon a few months ago and heard about another american that stabbed this expat over a dispute about the king.... we'll actually the american was talking really bad about the king and some brit expat punches him in the face. The american comes back and stabs this guy up (he did not die from the stab wounds), and is release after a few weeks. I just want to remind everybody from the states that every time an american does something in this country or any other country it will be scrutinized and added to the already infamous rep we have as a nation. We are already disliked by the majority of euro's I dont want to start being disliked by thais. May god's hand act swiftly and justly upon the murderer of this innocent lady.

Khun Cholorado,

It's not just Americans.Also Brits, Germans, Russians Australians and others who give all of us a bad name. There's good and bad in all nations, but after all they think that all foreigners. or farlangs, are criminals. Too much is going on these days. I feel sad for the death of a girl just trying to make some baht. RIP.

Edited July 18, 2010 by Maestro
Changed font format to default. No need to write entire post in Times New Roman, size 3 - Maestro

[BillR]

RIP for the lady....

This is the second American this week to take a fall, after the real estate ponzi scheme guy who was arrested and to be extradited...

The extradition rule really piss me off!

Any farang in Thailand can do every kind of illegal because in the worst case they will just be sent back home!

uh, no, you get extradited back to your country if you've done something wrong there.

[CapTC]

:jap:RIP for her.

[kota]

wow I lived near Chalong in Rawai beach for 1 month, in 2009, so bad, and so scary!!!!!!

Huh? I don't understand your comment. I've lived in Rawai for over four years. So what?

What about the Norwegian man with a Thai wife and two kids that was killed in a robbery just up the road from Icon a couple of years ago, no one was ever caught for that. Nor was there any reward offered by the police to help catch the killer like this case. But if this man, an American is really the one that did it, then it is good he was caught. But there seems to be something that doesn't fit. The article states: "Mr Fanelli, described as a long-term tourist, had lived at a home in Chalong with a Thai woman until the woman and her son returned to her home in the northeastern province of Mahasarakham, Col Wanchai said." If he had a preference for katoeys, why was he living with a women and her son until recently?

I agree, i've lived in Chalong for 5,5 years, and i never feeled that it was a dangerous area at all...Of course, all over Thailand, if you are looking for trouble, you will finally get one...And i also agree that something does not the story about the thai woman and the preference for ladyboys..I hope that tomorrow morning, Col Wanchai will give more details of the arrest and of the story...

[sirchai]

wow I lived near Chalong in Rawai beach for 1 month, in 2009, so bad, and so scary!!!!!!

Guess there's much more scary people all around Thailand.

Edited July 18, 2010 by Maestro
Changed font format to default. No need to write entire post in Comic Sans MS - Maestro

[sirchai]

wow I lived near Chalong in Rawai beach for 1 month, in 2009, so bad, and so scary!!!!!!

Huh? I don't understand your comment. I've lived in Rawai for over four years. So what?

What about the Norwegian man with a Thai wife and two kids that was killed in a robbery just up the road from Icon a couple of years ago, no one was ever caught for that. Nor was there any reward offered by the police to help catch the killer like this case. But if this man, an American is really the one that did it, then it is good he was caught. But there seems to be something that doesn't fit. The article states: "Mr Fanelli, described as a long-term tourist, had lived at a home in Chalong with a Thai woman until the woman and her son returned to her home in the northeastern province of Mahasarakham, Col Wanchai said." If he had a preference for katoeys, why was he living with a women and her son until recently?

I agree, i've lived in Chalong for 5,5 years, and i never feeled that it was a dangerous area at all...Of course, all over Thailand, if you are looking for trouble, you will finally get one...And i also agree that something does not the story about the thai woman and the preference for ladyboys..I hope that tomorrow morning, Col Wanchai will give more details of the arrest and of the story...

Lots of lady boy lovers do have a girl friend to show others that they're 'normal'. I've met some strange guys in this country, would somebody live with a kathoey, wouldn't people start talking about him?

Edited July 18, 2010 by Maestro
Changed font format to default. No need to write entire post in Comic Sans MS - Maestro

[Kesi]

Not all criminals are exrtadited. Many get to 'improve' their Thai in the BKK Hilton.

Extradition is for the lucky ones.

10 years expat work including 4 years in Thailand - No problems.

As said, you go looking for trouble anywhere and it will find you ;-)

[stepenwolf1958]

I was in Chumphon a few months ago and heard about another american that stabbed this expat over a dispute about the king.... we'll actually the american was talking really bad about the king and some brit expat punches him in the face. The american comes back and stabs this guy up (he did not die from the stab wounds), and is release after a few weeks. I just want to remind everybody from the states that every time an american does something in this country or any other country it will be scrutinized and added to the already infamous rep we have as a nation. We are already disliked by the majority of euro's I dont want to start being disliked by thais. May god's hand act swiftly and justly upon the murderer of this innocent lady.

Of course there is no justification for any killer, but how can you be sure that she is innocent?

Furthermore, the man lived in his house on the opposite end of Thailand.

- Chiang Mai don't have bar hookers as murdered person was? Don't have ladyboys? Why he would go to Phuket for those things?

- He had a house in Chiang Mai even long time tourist. According to Thai law, foreigners can not own the house on their peronal name so it would be good to know on whose behalf was a house in which they lived?(his wife with her son) Maybe the property was a kind of problem which led to this situation. It's not rare in Thailand.

- As guy accepted Thai woman as his wife and accepted her son, i guess from her previous marriage, seem like he was a kind man. What makes him to kill(if HE did it at all) is what we have to wait to see.

Italian blood could mean he was jealous, hot temper.

What was the role of victim? She was in relationship with the guy? Made his wife leave him? I could bet but things gone wrong as she wanted to continue to "work". Maybe the man was a victim of her deceive? How many times we saw that in Thailand?

It's all possible so we have to wait to see.

[Jingthing]

This isn't about Americans. I can't imagine that just because there are some criminals here from America would make someone who isn't anti-American already to be so. Rational people know there are crims from all nations.

[Arkady]

"Col Wanchai declined to go into detail about the motive, but said it appeared to have been related to the fact that Mr Fanelli's sexual preference was for ladyboys and that Ms Wanphen may have been ‘tracking’ his efforts to find partners."

Don't quite understand this comment. From the coverage of the murder in the Phuket Gazette it seems that the victim was last seen leaving the Sweethearts Bar in Kata with a bearded farang on a motorbike, who had asked for a katoy but barfined the victim instead on being told that no katoys were available. This seems to suggest the bearded man didn't know the victim. So, assuming Fanelli and the bearded man are one and the same why would she have been tracking his efforts to find katoy partners?

It also sounds odd that an afficionado of the katoy bar scene would have to ask the staff, if there were any katoys. I would think it would be pretty obvious to him within a few seconds whether any of them were katoys or not. It is also odd to take a woman instead, rather than going to another bar, if that's what he wanted. I suspect these details will turn out not to be correct. Perhaps the policeman just wanted to spice up the story a bit to get his name into the Thai media.