Phuket Police investigate apparent stabbing suicide by Swiss expat

Phuket Gazette

The passport photo of the late Mr Leepert, who Phuket Police believe took his life with a self-inflicted stab wound to the chest in his rented home in Rawai yesterday. Photo: Krissada Meuanhawong

PHUKET: -- Police in Phuket are investigating the apparent suicide of a Swiss expatriate found with a fatal knife wound to the chest in his rented home in Rawai yesterday.

Chalong Police at 11:30am were notified that a male Caucasian had taken his life by a stabbing at a home on Soi Naya.

Arriving at the scene with Phuket Ruamjai Kupai Foundation rescue workers, police found the body of a man lying on the bed in the bedroom of the two-storey, detached home.

A bloodstained fruit carving knife, still in the hand of the deceased, was among the evidence collected at the scene.

The body was identified,by passport, as that of 54-year-old Swiss national Francois Leepert.

His Thai wife, who reported the death, was lying at his side crying when police arrived.

An initial investigation of the scene by Chalong Police Inspector Aekasit Pinkaew found no signs of struggle or forced entry at the scene.

Mr Leepert had died about two hours earlier, police estimated.

After their inspection, police released the body of the late Mr Leepert to rescue workers who delivered it to Vachira Phuket Hospital for further examination and storage pending funeral arrangements.

Initial questioning revealed that the deceased likely fell into a depressed, lovelorn state. According to reports, he tried to call his wife up to 80 times and sent a text message to his wife before ending his life.

“Teerak [My love] Can't stop loving you - wish you all the best - you are the woman of my dreams - good by”, the message read.

According to one report, Mr Leepert worked as a banker in his native Switzerland before retiring in Phuket six years ago.

Chalong Police will continue to investigate to rule out any possibility of foul play.

Source: http://www.phuketgaz...ticle16605.html

-- Phuket Gazette 2012-08-07

My condolences to the friends and family.

If it is true, what a horrible way to die.

My condolences to the friends and family.

If it is true, what a horrible way to die.

You mean you suspect it may not be true?

I can think of so many easier ways to end your own life than stabbing. Maybe he did it, but it would be a scarce rarity compared to the number of knife attacks in this country.

with the many SMS etc, it looks he might have been depressed/drunk... but then...

also strange, he wouldnt text, that he was going to end his life, or hint it in any way (as "please do this and that in the future", "i wish you...", "dont worry about what i did")

he actually did... "good bye"

and also, that he pulled out the knife, after he stabbed himself?

but someone can have sent the messages from his phone, while in his room - after having stabbed him...

why did he "try to call her 80 times" - and not reach her?

“Teerak [My love] Can't stop loving you - wish you all the best - you are the woman of my dreams - good by”

not sure, if a 50something swiss banker would make such a mistake?

to me it sounds also a bit very "blethering"...

...and, why was his wife not there?

it appears strange, that people wake up in the morning, and stab themselves, first thing...

depression is a very sad thing and is quite common, many people have it in varying degrees, admit it or not, it does cause all sorts of problems in life AND there is no cure............. I hope there was no foul play............

R.I.P Francios,

Unbelievable. We can all see what has very likely happened here...and I would put vast sums of money on it NOT being a suicide! RIP to the murder victim.

COMPLETE AN UTTER BULLSHIT

My god this place is getting worse

Has anyone heard of a Suicide by stabbing yourself in the chest

But of course the Police will be happy to go with that conclusion

DK

What a Complete Surprise Wikepedia list 3 pages of statistics of ways people commit suicide and stabbing yourself in ones chest is not on the list AT ALL now slashing your wrists is but stabbing oneself in the chest NO

AMAZING

DK

If i wanted to kill myself I would surely not use a carving fruit knife to stable myself , there are easier and less painful way to end .. Is it another "strange suicide case" as we have seen in here too many times ? not that I want to think its a murder ...

RIP ...

This was an easy one for the local boys in brown. They did remove the cuffs behind his back and the plastic bag from his head first. Obviously a suicide.

Donald Manes apparently did it. He was on the phone to his psychiatrist, and had been put on hold.

This case needs further investigation. Releasing the body for funeral arrangements is a bit to quick. RIP

Sticking a knife in your own gut is a very odd way to commit suicide..question marks....

He tried to text his wife 80 times and yet she was by his side crying when the police arrived

COMPLETE AN UTTER BULLSHIT

My god this place is getting worse

Has anyone heard of a Suicide by stabbing yourself in the chest

But of course the Police will be happy to go with that conclusion

DK

Completely agree with you; this is plainly a murder. Sometimes its amazing to me how utterly stupid...oh, why bother. TIT

where is a society heading, when such things get nodded off...?

COMPLETE AN UTTER BULLSHIT

My god this place is getting worse

Has anyone heard of a Suicide by stabbing yourself in the chest

But of course the Police will be happy to go with that conclusion

DK

This way to commit suicide is known to have happened but it is very rare. The article does not say where in the chest the wound was. And for the victim to pull out the knife after having pushed it into his chest, I just do not believe that. Which hand did the victim hold the knife in and is it his number one hand? How did he hold the knife when found, pointing down or up? Was his chest clothed or naked? And fruit knife? Those are usually not very sharp so it would take some force to make it go in deep enough into the chest. There are so many things here that point toward murder.

The competent Phuket police would probably have ruled this a suicide even if the wound had been in his back. Because he was holding the knife.

Completely agree with you; this is plainly a murder. Sometimes its amazing to me how utterly stupid...oh, why bother. TIT

Nothing to do with stupidity at all. Some random foreigner died, and a Thai (now) with money wants to make it all go away.

Open and shut case, oooooooooop's sorry, for the BiB.

Sadly not for the diseased.

The assassin seems to have the BIB fooled.

He tried to text his wife 80 times and yet she was by his side crying when the police arrived

Right, many things don't add up here.

we heard already of someone who committed suicide by hanging himself with his hands tied on his back and police didn't see any suspicious element into this case. Now we have a swiss ex-banker stabbing himself in the chest whilst laying next to his on-looking girlfriend that even not tried to avoid this stabbing (there were no signs of struggle or forced entry) and called the police two hours later once he was really and totally dead...

We all have to learn from these Thai police-experts who can solve such straightforward cases with diligence and assiduity. Our Western minds are too critical... life (and dead) can be so simple if we look at it from the right angle!

we heard already of someone who committed suicide by hanging himself with his hands tied on his back and police didn't see any suspicious element into this case. Now we have a swiss ex-banker stabbing himself in the chest whilst laying next to his on-looking girlfriend that even not tried to avoid this stabbing (there were no signs of struggle or forced entry) and called the police two hours later once he was really and totally dead...

We all have to learn from these Thai police-experts who can solve such straightforward cases with diligence and assiduity. Our Western minds are too critical... life (and dead) can be so simple if we look at it from the right angle!

BiB always look at it from ''Their right angle''

He tried to text his wife 80 times and yet she was by his side crying when the police arrived

Right, many things don't add up here.

Seems like she came home and found her husband dead, that's why she was found there crying. Nothing said in OP that he pulled out the knife, it says his his hand was holding the knife, but the knife could still be in his chest.

RIP to the deceased . . . but <deleted> . . . this is the most unlikely "suicide" I've heard for a while. Dead for 2 hours before the BiB arrived? Plenty of time to remove all incriminating evidence, place knife in hand of victim, and start the floods of tears.

What a Complete Surprise Wikepedia list 3 pages of statistics of ways people commit suicide and stabbing yourself in ones chest is not on the list AT ALL now slashing your wrists is but stabbing oneself in the chest NO

AMAZING

DK

It would still be suicide if the stabbing was in his back.