American Killer Tells Phuket Police 'It Was A Terrible Accident'

[nicerice]

<br>

<br>Hmmmmm.....death sentence?<br>

<br><br><br>highly unlikly , with a good lawyer he will probably get 8-12 years....<br>

<br>With enough money he could have bought his way out. But now its a high profile case Thai police have no choice but to keep going. We as foreigners have a well deserved reputation for all bad things. <br>I do not support the death  penalty, but  this chap has brought it on him self.  <br> Nicerice,<br><br>

[Spee]

Bottom line: The man's got a secret in his file.

I was working in the UK at the same time and played poker at some of the same clubs. It's possible he could have been at one of my tables at one time or another. Kind of a spooky thought.

[Spee]

He was never a Navy Officer. zomg

Could be there are two people with the same name, or some identity issues, but the Navy seems to disagree with your statement (see lower left, section heading "qualified in submarines"):

http://www.navy.mil/navydata/cno/n87/usw/issue_4/downlink.html

As for others speculating on retirement and retirement pay, it is common practice for enlisted personnel to only say retired, as in Master Chief Petty Officer, USN Ret., after qualifying for retirement for length of service. For officers, it is common to say retired, as in Lt. USN Ret., as soon as the officer's commission is formally retired regardless of whether or not the individual served enough time to qualify for a pension. I've no idea what today's requirements are, but in my day, twenty years of service was the minimum service for officers or enlisted to qualify for retirement benefits (disability exceptions are another story).

[pete428]

Hi guys, here are some links you might find interesting.

An interview with Ron from around the time of the video, in which he talks about his time in the Navy: http://www.gutshot.com/articles/view.php?id=868&c=313

A thread discussing him from that poker site, including posts from people who knew him: http://gutshot.com/bforum/showthread.php?t=36826

Some possibly revealing posts he made on another forum where he posted as NewTeaBag:

http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/62/bbv4life/hey-bbv4l-imma-bout-go-bang-some-chix-253318/

http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/62/bbv4life/whats-my-line-here-212894/

http://archives1.twoplustwo.com/showthreaded.php?Cat=0&Number=12177164&page=0

http://archives1.twoplustwo.com/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=13212352&Main=13119275 (here he talks about catching hepatitis in Thailand)

(You can search through his posts here:

http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/search.php?searchid=14067704 (last post 13th July, complaining about Internet connection problems)

and here: http://archives1.twoplustwo.com/dosearch.php?Cat=0&Forum=All_Forums&Name=82582&Searchpage=0&Limit=25&&fromsearch=1&fromprof=1

And finally, here are his online poker results over the last 15 months: http://www.pokertableratings.com/fulltilt-player-search/newteabag

They show that he played an absolutely huge amount of hands, and was certainly playing full time. But he wasn't winning money - in fact, he lost $38 in total in that period. However the site will have paid him rakeback bonuses of $1400 for playing so much. That works out at just under $100 a month.

[TheyCallmeScooter]

the news say he(the ronald fanelli who was caught in thailand) is 37 when they caught him

that news story you linked says someone with the same name was 36 in 2007

did he only age 1 year in 3 years?

Do you - know - any reporters? Getting someone's age wrong by a year would be akin to coughing. Your great defence case rests on both news articles getting the age right [+/- 0 years] for a insane maniac animal who hacked an innocent girl to death with his knife when he was feeling stressed? Were you friends with the guy? Sounds like you're out to defend him?

Bottom line: The man's got a secret in his file.

So we have a guy that is completely insane - like unbelievably so - who is a compulsive liar and a complete basket case mess.

And we have guy with his name who was an officer in the USN.

And I post an article about a a petty idiot crook from his home town who has the same name.

I have no idea really - but why are we assuming he's the US Navy Officer? Cause I wanna put some money down on the other guy...

he is a guy that Ronald and his friend made fun of a lot online.. He's kind of a crazy australian sexpat on a vendetta..

You guys think i'll be able to visit ronald in prison? Offer a compensation to his guards to make sure he gets lucky in prison? Id love to see him face to face after everything he's said to me and my gf last year now that hes rotting away for life(if he makes it out alive?)

? Can you extrapolate? I've never interacted with or even heard of the freak until the morning of his arrest. I don't interact with guys like this:

Call me snobby. But it just wouldn't happen.

But then you start talking about some weird shit? What are you on about? You want to visit him in prison? Are you another "Mad Yank"?

Just for people who don't 'get' the poker thing - I don't mean to be a douche but his career earnings are a good / bad day or week for an elite online player. I mean, it's just local recreational stuff. My uncle gets drunk and plays on weekends and has higher career earnings than those pennies. He's not a poker player, is my point. He's a loser that craves attention, who ended up killing an innocent girl to feel 'big' for a moment. It's that simple, I reckon.

2002 - $1452

2003 - $5986

2004 - $36831

2005 - $0

2006 - $0

2007 - $0

2008 - $0

2009 - $0

2010 - $0

That's just about as recreational as the game gets.

Edited July 20, 2010 by TheyCallmeScooter

[pete428]

Just for people who don't 'get' the poker thing - I don't mean to be a douche but his career earnings are a good / bad day or week for an elite online player. I mean, it's just local recreational stuff. My uncle gets drunk and plays on weekends and has higher career earnings than those pennies. He's not a poker player, is my point. He's a loser that craves attention, who ended up killing an innocent girl to feel 'big' for a moment. It's that simple, I reckon.

2002 - $1452

2003 - $5986

2004 - $36831

2005 - $0

2006 - $0

2007 - $0

2008 - $0

2009 - $0

2010 - $0

That's just about as recreational as the game gets.

Of course, those figures give no indication of his actual earnings, because they only relate to live tournaments. When he moved to Thailand, obviously he wasn't playing live tournaments any more. Instead, he was playing online cash games, which are not tracked by that site. The site which does track them I linked to just now, and shows he was a break-even player in the last 15 months. But we don't know his results from before April 2009. Presumably he must have been winning, not a fortune, but enough to support himself in Thailand.

[TheyCallmeScooter]

Well I was - embarrassingly so - very wrong. My Ron Fanelli is serving time in prison.

Apologies, I'll go back and remove the grossly incorrect links.

http://www.silive.co...for_serial.html

[edit: missed the time limit to edit out my fail - mods please? sorry yall - pretty sure this guy isn't our man....

Kinda funny - I'd pick the guy above to the be USN Officer and um the guy below to be the failed turd burgler...

Edited July 21, 2010 by TheyCallmeScooter

[pete428]

It's this guy I feel sorry for: http://www.ronfanelli.com/

[Spee]

An interview with Ron from around the time of the video, in which he talks about his time in the Navy: http://www.gutshot.com/articles/view.php?id=868&c=313

About the only part of it that's believeable is the bit about getting less radiation during a sub tour than laying out on the beach. The rest of it is obvious ego-stroking.

As far as poker goes, 99.99% of all players are losing players. David Hayano wrote a great book about it fifteen years before the poker boom was even someone's wild wet dream.

http://www.amazon.com/Poker-Faces-David-Hayano/dp/0520050673/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1279673054&sr=1-1

The only saving grace with poker is that you don't have to be the best player at the table to win. You only have to avoid being one of the two or three worst ones. With so many bad players and degenerate gamblers throwing money around poker tables these days, it is very easy for average players to come off as world beaters. This guy is clearly in that category.

I'm no poker world beater, although I'm fairly knowledgeable about casino gambling, and my truck at my Thailand home was paid for in cash with poker winnings. From this guy's interviews, it's very obvious that he played a fast and loose style, and moving around in limits the way he did, it is fairly obvious that he was overplaying his bankroll, both being high variance strategies that more often than not result in getting busted.

A common phrase in poker is going "on tilt." Killing an innocent fellow human being without cause is about as far "on tilt" as a human being can get. My unofficial psych profile is this guy went off the deep end a long time ago, and it just took some time to hit bottom.

I hope the Thai justice system shows him what paying a debt to society means in that part of the world. My thoughts are with the victim's spirit trying to find her way to the next life.

Edited July 21, 2010 by Spee

[geriatrickid]

Any word as to his former g/f Miss Puk? It would be interesting to hear her impression of the accused.

Do the police even interview former spouses/companions?

And who knows for sure if he really was a ladyboy lover? I have spurned the advances of plenty of bargirls. In most cases they are nice about it and move on to the next guy. However, some of them, especially the ones that are drunk can get really abusive and nasty, resorting to taunts, asking if maybe one prefers a lady boy or is not well endowed etc. Until some ladyboy presents and says it spent time with the accused, I think it's unfair to discuss his preferences.

[kpmsprtd]

I can't believe I read the whole thing. Congratulations to the 3 or 4 people who actually made sense. My favorite part was the fantasy about U.S. Navy guys being trained killers. It is true that during our 10 or 12 weeks of basic training we were supposed to spend an hour at the firing range shooting 22s at targets. But with weather and other stuff going on, it just kept getting delayed. Finally, after the umpteenth postponement, my company commander had me just fill out the forms and turn them in. Trained killers, indeed!

[eek]

Some inflammatory posts required deletion. I realise this is a shocking and sensitive topic, and tempers can flare, but keep it civil please.

[F1fanatic]

Nobody knows what was going through this (psychotic) guys head - and there can be little doubt that if the story's true, he's a v dangerous person.

Its a reasonable assumption though that he met his wife in a bar, and when she left him (as she realised he had no money and was a nutter to boot!) taking their child with her, he lost the few marbles he had left.

He was not only (presumably) incredibly angry with his wife, but tarred all bar hostesses with the same brush and didn't think of them as human beings at all.... His true nature came out v forcefully.

If the story's true - and we have no reason to disbelieve it as he's confessed - he needs to be imprisoned for life.

Edited July 21, 2010 by F1fanatic

[crazyOZ80]

A lot of people are saying that losing your internet connection is a poor defence. It is.

But think about when you lose your internet connection and how it makes you react. It shouldn't upset you as much as it does, should it?

I have dealt with many thousands of people who have internet problems (for a job), and while most of them would never dream of harming a person over something so trivial, when it happens to them, they change in ways you wouldn't believe possible.

I've had people break down in tears several times, call me a "fuc_king asshol_e, (insert my name here and repeat 5-10 times over one minute)", smash their computers, put holes in the wall, set their dogs on techs who came out to fix faulty wiring, belt their kids or partners, call the cops on us, turn up at the door of the office threatening us, multiple threats to go to the media or to sue us, and many many other things you just wouldn't believe a rational human being to be capable of.

People get the sum of the world's information and entertainment at their fingertips almost instantly, and they become addicted to it.

What happens when you withhold something addictive? Violent withdrawals.

I'm not saying what this guy did was right, but I can certainly believe it. You take a person who's had a string of bad luck and high stress, liquor him up, take away his addictive source of instant gratification and add another stressful failure to his life, and it's easy to see how he could snap. Everyone has a breaking point. This seems to be the straw that broke the camel's back.

I'm just glad they got him off the streets and I feel very sorry for his victim, her family, and his own family who will have to live with this in their family history.

EDIT: wow I should have read all three pages of posts before replying. It looks like a lot of people have already said what I just did

Everyone has a breaking point? Well, I'm not sure, anyway it's not about the breaking point. A guy can commit suicide if he gets to that "breaking point", but to stab a 40 kgs poor girl it takes a meany bastard. Also booze and military service (let alone the internet connection thing) have nothing to do with stabbing defensless ladybars and breaking their bones into a suitcase. The thing is: there are good people and bad people, this individual is a bad person. Period. The fact that at this poor girl funeral attended just "about ten of her friends" it's one of the saddest things in the story.

Yes i agree that is so sad that there were only 10 people at her funeral , that is the first thing i thought ! really so sad and that should not happen to anyone !

The fact is the friends a bar girl has is the girls in the same bar with her and some times cause of money even they don't like them , their parents don't give a shit about them cause they send them off to sell their pussy and only care about having money sent to them , nobody like's bar girls that's why nobody came to the funeral. I bet the mum didn't come cause it might cost her too much in transport . RIP

[webfact]

UPDATE

Fanelli arrest: Phuket Police to share Bt50,000 reward

Mr Fanelli with top-ranking Phuket City Police at the July 18 press conference.

PHUKET: -- Police investigators will share the 50,000 baht reward money offered for clues leading to the arrest of Ronald Fanelli, Phuket City Police say.

Phuket City Police Superintendent Wanchai Ekpornpit told the Gazette this morning that several people offered tips to the police and photos of people they suspected might be responsible, but that none of those led to the arrest of Mr Fanelli.

“The investigators assigned to the case will share the reward since it was their own detective work that led to the arrest,” he said.

Mr Fanelli confessed to stabbing to death bar hostess Wanphen Pienjai, 33, after “snapping” under the stress of family problems, financial difficulty and binge drinking, Col Wanchai told the Gazette on Monday.

There were no signs of illegal drug use at the home in Wichit where he killed the victim, he added.

-- Phuket Gazette 2010-07-23

[moetownblues]

UPDATE

Fanelli arrest: Phuket Police to share Bt50,000 reward

Mr Fanelli with top-ranking Phuket City Police at the July 18 press conference.

PHUKET: -- Police investigators will share the 50,000 baht reward money offered for clues leading to the arrest of Ronald Fanelli, Phuket City Police say.

Phuket City Police Superintendent Wanchai Ekpornpit told the Gazette this morning that several people offered tips to the police and photos of people they suspected might be responsible, but that none of those led to the arrest of Mr Fanelli.

"The investigators assigned to the case will share the reward since it was their own detective work that led to the arrest," he said.

Mr Fanelli confessed to stabbing to death bar hostess Wanphen Pienjai, 33, after "snapping" under the stress of family problems, financial difficulty and binge drinking, Col Wanchai told the Gazette on Monday.

There were no signs of illegal drug use at the home in Wichit where he killed the victim, he added.

-- Phuket Gazette 2010-07-23

How on earth can police share in any reward? The are employed to do the job accepting a reward is unethical and places doubt on the charges. Openly admitting corruption.

[ozzieovaseas]

Hmmph...detective work eh?

What about the tipoff from the member of the public who recognised the mattress and in so provided the link to the killer AND his whereabouts

A blind and lame soi dog could have sniffed out the case from there,

But Yeh, you've done it agian BiB..prooven you are the HUB of international Law enforcement

Thanks again doctor sombat and somchai Holmes

Edited July 23, 2010 by ozzieovaseas

[Boater]

UPDATE

Fanelli arrest: Phuket Police to share Bt50,000 reward

Mr Fanelli with top-ranking Phuket City Police at the July 18 press conference.

PHUKET: -- Police investigators will share the 50,000 baht reward money offered for clues leading to the arrest of Ronald Fanelli, Phuket City Police say.

Phuket City Police Superintendent Wanchai Ekpornpit told the Gazette this morning that several people offered tips to the police and photos of people they suspected might be responsible, but that none of those led to the arrest of Mr Fanelli.

"The investigators assigned to the case will share the reward since it was their own detective work that led to the arrest," he said.

Mr Fanelli confessed to stabbing to death bar hostess Wanphen Pienjai, 33, after "snapping" under the stress of family problems, financial difficulty and binge drinking, Col Wanchai told the Gazette on Monday.

There were no signs of illegal drug use at the home in Wichit where he killed the victim, he added.

-- Phuket Gazette 2010-07-23

How on earth can police share in any reward? The are employed to do the job accepting a reward is unethical and places doubt on the charges. Openly admitting corruption.

how crazy is this !, they where tipped off !!

"The investigators assigned to the case will share the reward since it was their own detective work that led to the arrest,"

- yeah right !

[Werfer]

lol nice pay day for the BIB

[moetownblues]

So this Picture was taken during a confession to the media? What is the Police Officer on the right holding in his hand? Looks like a firearm. Attitude adjuster or friendly persuader. They worked hard for the reward and don't want this farang mucking things up.

Edited July 23, 2010 by moetownblues

[jackdawson]

nice pay day for the BIB

which they totally earned nabbing this alleged murderer of a small defenseless thai woman

[wtk]

i think the investigators should be rewarded in some other way. they were doign their job. money like this should be rewarded to someone helping the investigators catch the killer, not to the investigators if they do it on their own

anyone know the sentencing date or know/guess how many years will he serve?

[Chunky1]

only in thailand would the policeman get the reward. comical.

[Chunky1]

Any word as to his former g/f Miss Puk? It would be interesting to hear her impression of the accused.

she left with all of his money and his child. you have to wonder if she made the right decision to do so or if she should be in jail for pushing him over the edge.

[blubberboybob]

Hi guys, here are some links you might find interesting.

Some possibly revealing posts he made on another forum where he posted as NewTeaBag:

http://forumserver.t...me-chix-253318/

http://forumserver.t...ne-here-212894/

http://archives1.two...12177164&page=0

http://archives1.two...2&Main=13119275 (here he talks about catching hepatitis in Thailand)

(You can search through his posts here:

http://forumserver.t...archid=14067704 (last post 13th July, complaining about Internet connection problems)

and here: http://archives1.two...ch=1&fromprof=1

NewTeaBag writes more like a brit than a yank

Edited July 23, 2010 by blubberboybob

[longgtime]

twoplustwo censored out and deleted threads about newteabag

by yabba on Fri Jul 23, 2010 6:15 pm

Screenshot of deleted thread:

http://img713.imageshack.us/img713/151/20100723143514webcacheg.jpg

http://img291.imageshack.us/f/20100723142932wwwtinyur.jpg

http://img405.imageshack.us/img405/465/20100723152947webcacheg.jpg

http://img204.imageshack.us/f/20100723142939wwwtinyur.jpg

Here's a cached copy.

http://www.tinyurl.com/RonaldFanelli1

http://www.tinyurl.com/RonaldFanelli2

http://www.tinyurl.com/RonaldFanelli3

http://www.tinyurl.com/RonaldFanelli4

He seemed to have owned people money, maybe this was his way out?

Discussion:

http://forums.kipin.net/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=16306&st=0&sk=t&sd=a

[longgtime]

<br />Nobody knows what was going through this (psychotic) guys head - and there can be little doubt that if the story's true, he's a v dangerous person.<br /><br />Its a reasonable assumption though that he met his wife in a bar, and when she left him (as she realised he had no money and was a nutter to boot!) taking their child with her, he lost the few marbles he had left.<br /><br />He was not only (presumably) incredibly angry with his wife, but tarred all bar hostesses with the same brush and didn't think of them as human beings at all.... His true nature came out v forcefully.<br /><br />If the story's true - and we have no reason to disbelieve it as he's confessed - he needs to be imprisoned for life.<br />

<br /><br /><br />

Your assumptions are correct. His girlfriend, I believe they are not married, was from a bar. The baby (roughly 1 year old) was an unexpected pregnancy with her wanting to keep it and him not. In my book, imprisoned for life is a light sentence for murderers.

[TheyCallmeScooter]

Any word as to his former g/f Miss Puk? It would be interesting to hear her impression of the accused.

she left with all of his money and his child. you have to wonder if she made the right decision to do so or if she should be in jail for pushing him over the edge.

I think someone's partner left with their kid/s? That's about the only thing that would mitigate a statement which is *that* ludicrous.

Perhaps she left because her partner wasn't quite....rational? Can't hardly blame a girl for protecting herself and her child - unless you're insane, I guess. hmm

[Hollywood3000]

The guy is a Class A D-Bag and I hope he dies behind bars. But let this be a lesson, don't screw with someone's heart because you never know how much insanity is right under the surface and if set off someone is gonna die. Man or woman, be careful with a persons heart.

[MUYTHAI]

What a crazy story.

I googled his name and found this interview with him back when he played poker. A bit irrelevant but some people might be interested:

Actually, just watched all of it. It is relevant, the guys mad!

I just watched the video of the killer.The guy is definitely a weirdo/freak. I hope this scumbag rots in a Thai jail for the rest of his life!