37 Million Baht Reward Offered For Murderer

[guardian]

yes, apparently there's some currency conversion and miscommunication with name spellings occuring.

Million-baht reward for US wife-killer

The United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) on Friday offered a 25,000-dollar reward for information leading to the arrest of a Thai-American suspected of murdering his pregnant wife 12 years ago.

"This is a priority case for the USA," said Robert Burkes, the FBI legal attache to the US Embassy in Bangkok. "We've been pursuing this man for 12 years."

Saner Wonggoun, 59, is on the USA's "most wanted US fugitive" list as the prime suspect in the murder of his wife Sopha Yodpet in California in January 1994.

Both Saner and Sopha, of Thai descent, were naturalized American citizens living in the USA at the time of the murder.

Saner, from Nakorn Nayok province in Thailand, moved to the USA when he was 21 and joined the US Air Force in the mid-1970s, rising to be a cargo supervisor at Travis Air Force Base, California.

Shortly after Sopha's body was discovered wrapped in a sleeping bag that had been dumped off Highway 1 in Marin County, California, Saner purchased a one-way ticket to Bangkok where he arrived on January 14, 1994, according to police records. Sopha was eight months pregnant when murdered.

Since his arrival in Thailand, Saner has gone missing, avoiding a joint Thai-US effort to track him down for the past 12 years.

"We're hoping the reward will offer a new opportunity to find him, after failing to do so for so many years," Police General Israphan Snitwongse, Thailand's deputy police chief, told a press conference.

The 25,000 dollars would be given to anyone in Thailand, Cambodia, Laos or Vietnam who can provide evidence leading to Saner's capture or prove his death, said Israphan. He noted that Saner may have acquired a new ID, undergone plastic surgery or joined the Buddhist monkhood.

"Saner can speak English fluently, like an American, so its possible he's working in the tourism industry," said Burkes.

- German Press Agency

Folks, beware of the catch here!!! The reward would only be given IF he's caught in either Thailand, Cambodia, Laos or Vietnam. So, if any of you spot him elsewhere, you'll have to convince him to fly back with you to either of these 4 countries.

[Maizefarmer]

Yer - I noticed that "qualification" - wonder why they added that?

Tim

[stoneman]

Articles in Saturday morning Bangkok Post and Nation state that the reward is 1 million baht...not 1 million US Dollars...

[michael804]

"Saner can speak English fluently, like an American, so its possible he's working in the tourism industry," said Burkes.

- German Press Agency

Umm,,, this reporter must have never visited a major urban area of the U.S.

where ebonics has corrupted proper "English"

yo

fo shizle my nizzle

[London Crocodile]

"Saner can speak English fluently, like an American, so its possible he's working in the tourism industry," said Burkes.

- German Press Agency

Umm,,, this reporter must have never visited a major urban area of the U.S.

where ebonics has corrupted proper "English"

yo

fo shizle my nizzle

That's the reason the article stated: 'Saner can speak English fluently, like an American', and not 'Saner can speak English fluently'.

There is a big difference between the two.

[Tony Clifton]

Saner Americans can, like, speak Engkish fluently.

[sriracha john]

Additional Information:

Police investigating the death found that Saner had left the couple’s two children with a neighbor and fled to Bangkok, Thailand, according to news release by U.S. and Thai authorities.

- Associated Press

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Murders his pregnant wife AND abandons his two other children...

A black heart gets blacker....

[sriracha john]

UPDATE... BUSTED !

Thai-American wife killer arrested

Phitsanulok - Thailand's special branch policemen have arrested a Thai-American man alleged for killing his pregnant wife nine years ago in this provincial market. Last week, the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), through the US embassy in Bangkok, were offering a 1-million baht reward for information leading to the arrest of a Thai-American man wanted for the murder of his pregnant wife nine years ago and who is believed to be in Thailand. The man was identified as Saner Wongkuan, a former US Air Force first sergeant who is suspected of murdering his pregnant wife in the US in 1997. He is also wanted by the US FBI for abandoning his military service after the murder. Today they found the man selling goods in a market in Phitsaulok province, 377 km north of Bangkok.

Continued here:

http://www.bangkokpost.com/breaking_news/b...s.php?id=113971

[guardian]

so, will the informer get 1,000,000 baht or 918,750 baht (US$25,000 @ 36.75)

[jbowman1993]

Breaking News from The Nation.

They just caught him.

Thai-US Fugitive with Bt1 million reward arrested

Police arrest a dual Thai-US national wanted by the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in Phitsanulok province on Friday for allegedly murdering his pregnant wife 12 years ago.

The arrest of Saner Wonggoun, 59, followed an announcement by the FBI a week ago that it would pay a reward of Bt1 million for information leading to his arrest or prove his death.

"Saner was arrested while he was selling goods at an open air market in Phitsanulok," said Pol Col Naphol Kosorulaksananopas, a member of the special investigation police force that made the arrest Friday morning.

"He did not his name or face and was using his Thai ID card, although it had expired three years ago," Naphol told Deutsche Press Agence in a telephone interview as police escorted Saner to Bangkok.

Saner is on the US's "most wanted US fugitive" list as the prime suspect in the murder of his wife, Sopha Yodpet, in California in January 1994.

Both Saner and Sopha, of Thai descent, were naturalized American citizens living in the US at the time of the murder.

Saner, from Nakorn Nayok province in Thailand, moved to the US when he was 21 and joined the US Air Force in the mid-1970s, rising to be a cargo supervisor at Travis Air Force Base, California.

Shortly after Sopha's body was discovered wrapped in a sleeping bag that had been dumped off Highway 1 in Marin County, California, Saner purchased a one-way ticket to Bangkok where he arrived on January 14, 1994, according to police records. Sopha was eight months pregnant when murdered.

Since his arrival in Thailand, Saner has gone missing, avoiding a joint Thai-US effort to track him down for the past 12 years.

[taxexile]

he admitted to murdering her , with a hammer.

said he couldnt stand her anymore , her gambling and spending.

feel sorry for the guy , grey haired old geezer , but i guess he will be sent back and end up doing a very long stretch in jail there.

wonder if the police here will trouser the reward ?

[sriracha john]

I wonder if the informant was also misinformed and is expecting 37 million baht, as per OP, versus the actual 1.

[sbk]

he admitted to murdering her , with a hammer.

said he couldnt stand her anymore , her gambling and spending.

feel sorry for the guy , grey haired old geezer , but i guess he will be sent back and end up doing a very long stretch in jail there.

wonder if the police here will trouser the reward ?

Sopha was eight months pregnant when murdered.

I have no pity for the man at all.

[sriracha john]

Suspect in 1994 California murder arrested in northern Thailand

Saner Wonggoun, 59, sits at the central police station in Bangkok after his arrest in connection with the 1994 slaying in California of his pregnant wife Sopha.

AP

-----------------------

I see he kept his U.S. Air Force military ID card (next to his passport on the table). Must have been proud of his service to America.

Anyway, have a nice flight, Saner, and enjoy your new accomadations there... Bon Voyage... See you back in Thailand in... uhmm.... NEVER

Edited November 4, 2006 by sriracha john

[taxexile]

he admitted to murdering her , with a hammer.

said he couldnt stand her anymore , her gambling and spending.

feel sorry for the guy , grey haired old geezer , but i guess he will be sent back and end up doing a very long stretch in jail there.

wonder if the police here will trouser the reward ?

Sopha was eight months pregnant when murdered.

I have no pity for the man at all.

i didnt know she was pregnant.

he was on tv last night , when i saw him , a grey haired old guy , 20 years down the line and distanced from the crime , well it was hard to associate him with such a brutal act. he looked like a kindly old uncle type.

very different from the hard faced killers we get paraded in front of us on tv or in the papers all the time.

[ilyushin]

Premeditated double homicide, international flight, AWOL, plus more.

IT's the "plus more" that's interesting.

Do they say whether he's wanted dead or alive?

It's weird looking to charge a man for AWOL after he's commited murder, like he should have turned up for duty.

He probably could have gotten off the murder charge or reduced to man slaughter before flight, but AWOL would certainly not be dismissed or reduced.

Felonies are the most serious offenses that can be charged. Sometimes, the distinction between "felonies" and "misdemeanors" seems arbitrary. However, all of the most serious criminal offenses (such as murder, sexual assault, embezzlement, burglary, robbery, arson, and treason) are felonies.

In the United States, United Kingdom, and France, military personnel become AWOL (Absent Without Official Leave, pronounced "A-Wall") when they are absent from their post without a valid pass or leave. Such people are dropped from their unit rolls after 30 days and then listed as deserters. However, as a matter of U.S. military law, desertion is not measured by time away from the unit, but rather:

by leaving or remaining absent from their unit, organization, or place of duty, where there has been a determined intent to not return;

if that intent is determined to be to avoid hazardous duty or shirk important responsibility;

if they enlist or accept an appointment in the same or another branch of service without disclosing the fact that they have not been properly separated from current service; or

if they enter a foreign armed force not as authorized by the United States.

A person holding a top secret security clearance is a deserter rather than AWOL, because of the national security implications of the material to which they have access.

People who are away for more than 30 days but return voluntarily or indicate a credible intent to return may still be considered AWOL, while those who are away for fewer than 30 days but can credibly be shown to have no intent to return (as by joining the armed forces of another country) may nevertheless be tried for desertion or in some rare occasions treason if enough evidence is found.

In the United States, before the Civil War, deserters from the Army were flogged, while after 1861 tattoos or branding were also adopted. The maximum U.S. penalty for desertion in wartime remains death, although this punishment was last applied to Eddie Slovik in 1945.

"To go U.A.," a variant of the expression "to go AWOL," is used in the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps ("U.A." stands for "unauthorized absence").

Also, "Missing Movement" is another term which is used to describe when a particular servicemember fails to arrive at the appointed time to deploy (or "move out") with their assigned unit, ship, or aircraft; in the United States military, it is a violation of the 87th article of the Uniform Code of Military Justice. The offense is similar to AWOL, but considered more severe.

Edited November 4, 2006 by ilyushin

[sriracha john]

Nice synopsis of military law as it applies here, ilyushin...

As is common in situations like this, Saner will likely be charged with murder by the civilian authorities first and IF he doesn't get a "life sentence without parole," whenever he does get out, he will then face the desertion charges by the Air Force. Given his age, it's highly unlikely he'll ever be selling his goods in the Phitsanulok market ever again. As for "selling his goods" while confined to San Quentin (civilian prison in California) or Fort Leavenworth (military prison in Kansas), well, I wouldn't be so sure.

[sriracha john]

ahhhh.... the plot thickens... with a slightly different scenario from above post

Apparently the military authorities are going to prosecute for the murder charge and not the civilians. That would indicate that the murder took place on the military base (a detail that I had not seen printed previously; previous reports only mention where the body was found: dumped next to a highway off base). Normally civilian authorities prosecute murders EXCEPT if they were committed on a military base. Also new news to me was that he had 18 years of service in at the time of the murder (only 2 years shy of retirement). His future doesn't look too rosy being tried by military court-martial for premeditated murder and also presumably desertion. He stands a greater chance of death penalty implementation than he would have if convicted in a California civilian court and secondly, the military will spare no expense on the prosecution side, particularly in a high-profile, gruesome case like this. Their record of convictions is very high and usually the defendent ends up with more severe punishment afterwards than their civilian counterparts.

Air Force's most-wanted fugitive arrested in wife's 1994 slaying

A former U.S. Air Force sergeant was arrested Friday in Thailand in the 1994 killing of his pregnant wife, whose battered body was dumped on the side of a road north of Muir Beach in Marin County.

Saner Wonggoun, 59, was based at Travis Air Force Base in 1994, and disappeared shortly after his wife's body was found wrapped in a sleeping bag. He remained in hiding, eluding capture in Thailand, for the past 12 years, authorities said.

Wonggoun, who spent 18 years in the military, was listed by the Air Force as its most-wanted fugitive.

"We have really been pushing the last couple of months to try to find this guy, and we had some really, really hard-core agents in Thailand trying to find him," said Capt. Christine Millette of the Air Force's Office of Special Investigations.

Wonggoun will be court-martialed on charges of premeditated murder and could face the death penalty if convicted, Millette said.

Wonggoun's wife, Sopha, was found Jan. 7, 1994, at the bottom of a hill next to Highway 1. A tourist came upon the body while hiking in a remote area near Slide Ranch north of Muir Beach, said Marin sheriff's Sgt. Mike Crain.

Sopha Wonggoun was 42 years old and eight months pregnant when she was bludgeoned to death. Her body had been wrapped in a sleeping bag and had apparently been rolled down the hill, Crain said.

"We don't know anything about motive," Millette said. "That will all come out in the trial."

Crain said Saner Wonggoun had been the primary suspect from the start.

Wonggoun had lived with his wife and their two children at Travis. Born in Nakorn Nayok province in Thailand, he moved to the United States when he was 21, became a citizen in 1978 and joined the Air Force. He married Sopha Yodpet, also a naturalized citizen, in 1981 and was working as an air cargo supervisor at Travis when her body was found.

Wonggoun disappeared before investigators could arrest him, leaving his two children with a neighbor who had instructions to pass them on to friends, according to Air Force investigators.

"We found his vehicle at the airport," Crain said. "He had bought a one-way ticket to Thailand."

Wonggoun arrived in Bangkok on Jan. 14, 1994, according to investigators, but the trail soon went cold.

Two weeks ago, U.S. authorities began a media blitz in Thailand that included a $27,300 reward for Wonggoun's capture. On Friday, the Royal Thai Police arrested him in Phitsanulok province, 208 miles north of Bangkok, after authorities were tipped to his location.

It was not clear when he will be returned to the United States.

- San Francisco Chronicle

[sriracha john]

UPDATE... he will be extradited to the USA!

Court rules to extradite Thai-born naturalised American in murder case

BANGKOK - Thailand's Appeals Court has endorsed an earlier ruling by the Criminal Court to extradite a Thai-born American national to the United States where he has been charged in the murder of his Thai wife several years ago.

The Appeals Court ruled in support of the Criminal Court to return Sgt. Saner Wonggoun, 59, to the US under a bilateral extradition pact after the US Air Force sergeant had allegedly killed his pregnant wife in that country three years ago.

Sgt. Saner, who had fled to Thailand after murdering his wife, had been arrested in Phitsanulok, earlier insisted that he be considered as a Thai citizen and subject to Thai court.

The Appeals Court rejected the defendant's plea on grounds that the murder case took place in the US and Sgt. Saner is legally a US national and for that reason found it proper to have him serve justice in that country.

- MCOT

Edited December 20, 2007 by sriracha john

[cm-happy]

Bet he's hiding out in Isaan!

American traveling with American PP? Should not be too hard to find unless some one is harboring him.

wonder what visa catagory he qualifies for? hehe

Oops, posted this before I saw the UPDATE.

Edited December 20, 2007 by cm-happy

[LaoPo]

UPDATE... he will be extradited to the USA!

Court rules to extradite Thai-born naturalised American in murder case

BANGKOK - Thailand's Appeals Court has endorsed an earlier ruling by the Criminal Court to extradite a Thai-born American national to the United States where he has been charged in the murder of his Thai wife several years ago.

The Appeals Court ruled in support of the Criminal Court to return Sgt. Saner Wonggoun, 59, to the US under a bilateral extradition pact after the US Air Force sergeant had allegedly killed his pregnant wife in that country three years ago.

Sgt. Saner, who had fled to Thailand after murdering his wife, had been arrested in Phitsanulok, earlier insisted that he be considered as a Thai citizen and subject to Thai court.

The Appeals Court rejected the defendant's plea on grounds that the murder case took place in the US and Sgt. Saner is legally a US national and for that reason found it proper to have him serve justice in that country.

- MCOT

She was murdered January 1994 (when she was 8 months pregnant), not three years ago. So, that's almost 14 years ago...

We shouldn't forget that this couple had already 2 children and he left them with the neighbours before leaving for Thailand (6 days after he killed his wife).

How sad and horrible they must have felt the past 14 years.... I can't even imagine.

Compliments to the special US forces, like said in a previous post:

" "We have really been pushing the last couple of months to try to find this guy, and we had some really, really hard-core agents in Thailand trying to find him," said Capt. Christine Millette of the Air Force's Office of Special Investigations."

LaoPo

Edited December 20, 2007 by LaoPo

[sriracha john]

Informant believes his reward money was 'unfairly' shared out

A Thai informant who tipped off US officials on the whereabouts of an American, accused of murdering his Thai wife more than a decade ago, fears local police may have unfairly ended up with a big slice of the reward on offer for the man's arrest.

The informant, who did not want to be named, acted on a wanted poster last year offering US$25,000 for information about a former US airman, Technical Sgt Saner Wonggoun, sought for the alleged slaying of his Thai wife in 1994.

He told The Nation he later received $15,000 from the amount offered after being told by US officials there were other informants who also gave tip-offs that led to the arrest of the suspect.

The informant said he was not being greedy or overly opportunistic, but could not help suspect the reward was shared by policemen who acted on his tip-off that vitally led to locating the suspect's whereabouts in Phitsanulok province.

"The policemen asked for a share of the bounty in a telephone conversation with me," he said.

But a US Embassy official denied knowing that the police took a large chunk the reward, while her superior told the informant, in a conversation during a Bangkok rendezvous, to contact him if the police tried to ask for any of the money.

The official, who asked not to be identified, because the case involved confidential information and a sensitive issue, said it was the US Air Force Office of Special Investigations (AFOSI) that analysed all tip-offs and recommended the bounty be split among all informants involved.

The informant said he never asked her who the other informants were, and why they did not show up at a ceremony last Friday in which three AFOSI agents presented him with a medal in gratitude for the "most useful" tip-off.

He could cope with not receiving the full reward, but felt "considerable disappointment".

"It's to me like winning a lottery, with the prize money deducted. At least I did not invest any money, but only my efforts," he said.

He felt he deserved the full $25,000, because it was the police's duty to pursue criminal suspects here, whether acting at the request of a foreign government, or not.

The informant was certain he had provided vital details about Saner who had maintained a very low profile after re-entering Thailand after allegedly killing his wife.

He said there was an element of risk in his coming forward with information about the accused, as he may face reprisal by the suspect's relatives or friends, or possible intimidation by police officers.

Yesterday, the Court of Appeals ruled against a request by Saner for the case to be tried in Thailand. Previously, a lower court gave the green light for him to be extradited to the US to stand trial for the alleged murder

The judges said Saner's dual citizenship did not favour him to unconditionally be tried only in Thailand. The US government had jurisdiction over the murder there and judicial authorities to hear the case, as per a 1929 law governing extradition between the two countries.

- The Nation

[jfchandler]

Just a small bit about this guy facing MILITARY prosecution back in the U.S. and his prospects for the death penalty.

Just this week, in news coverage of the U.S. serviceman now on trial for leading the gang rape of an Iraqi teenager, it was pointed out that military court martials rarely issue death penalty sentences, even though they are possible.

"But Gary Solis, a law professor at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., remains baffled that prosecuting the Mahmoudiya slayings has lingered when so many other crimes in Iraq have come to a close.

(pghs omitted)

"The death sentence is a dead letter in the military," Solis said. "If tried in the military, Green probably would not be sentenced to death. And if sentenced to death, it's questionable the sentence would ever be carried out."

Likewise, while U.S. civilian courts can and do sometimes issue death sentences, executions in Calif., for example, have been on hold of late because of legal challenges to the state's method of lethal injection. The same issue, alleged cruel and unusual punishment in the injections, has been limiting executions in some other states, and prompted some states to suspend death sentences altogether. See below... from yesterday...

Executions down in United States

Published: Dec. 19, 2007 at 10:33 AM

WASHINGTON, Dec. 19 (UPI) -- Recent figures indicate the number of death sentences carried out in the United States declined to lows not seen for at least 10 years.

The Death Penalty Information Center, based in Washington, said 42 death sentences were carried out in 2007, down 57 percent from 1998, CNN reported.

Experts suggested the number of executions will continue to fall following several developments in state and federal law.

The U.S. Supreme Court has scheduled argument for Jan. 7 in a case looking into whether the three-drug cocktail used in lethal injections in 36 of the 37 states using the practice constitutes cruel and unusual punishment.

Several states, awaiting that decision, imposed a moratorium on carrying out executions.

New Jersey became the first state in more than four decades to ban capital punishment when Gov. John Corzine signed legislation Monday outlawing it.

Texas leads the nation in the number of executions, with 26 death sentences carried out this year. Southern states carried out 86 percent of the U.S. executions in 2007.

[mikethevigoman]

yes, apparently there's some currency conversion and miscommunication with name spellings occuring.

Million-baht reward for US wife-killer

The United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) on Friday offered a 25,000-dollar reward for information leading to the arrest of a Thai-American suspected of murdering his pregnant wife 12 years ago.

"This is a priority case for the USA," said Robert Burkes, the FBI legal attache to the US Embassy in Bangkok. "We've been pursuing this man for 12 years."

Saner Wonggoun, 59, is on the USA's "most wanted US fugitive" list as the prime suspect in the murder of his wife Sopha Yodpet in California in January 1994.

Both Saner and Sopha, of Thai descent, were naturalized American citizens living in the USA at the time of the murder.

Saner, from Nakorn Nayok province in Thailand, moved to the USA when he was 21 and joined the US Air Force in the mid-1970s, rising to be a cargo supervisor at Travis Air Force Base, California.

Shortly after Sopha's body was discovered wrapped in a sleeping bag that had been dumped off Highway 1 in Marin County, California, Saner purchased a one-way ticket to Bangkok where he arrived on January 14, 1994, according to police records. Sopha was eight months pregnant when murdered.

Since his arrival in Thailand, Saner has gone missing, avoiding a joint Thai-US effort to track him down for the past 12 years.

"We're hoping the reward will offer a new opportunity to find him, after failing to do so for so many years," Police General Israphan Snitwongse, Thailand's deputy police chief, told a press conference.

The 25,000 dollars would be given to anyone in Thailand, Cambodia, Laos or Vietnam who can provide evidence leading to Saner's capture or prove his death, said Israphan. He noted that Saner may have acquired a new ID, undergone plastic surgery or joined the Buddhist monkhood.

"Saner can speak English fluently, like an American, so its possible he's working in the tourism industry," said Burkes.

- German Press Agency

Killed his wife at eight months pregnant,..ill never get my head around what people are capaple of of ! jeez

[mikethevigoman]

Breaking News from The Nation.

They just caught him.

Thai-US Fugitive with Bt1 million reward arrested

Police arrest a dual Thai-US national wanted by the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in Phitsanulok province on Friday for allegedly murdering his pregnant wife 12 years ago.

The arrest of Saner Wonggoun, 59, followed an announcement by the FBI a week ago that it would pay a reward of Bt1 million for information leading to his arrest or prove his death.

"Saner was arrested while he was selling goods at an open air market in Phitsanulok," said Pol Col Naphol Kosorulaksananopas, a member of the special investigation police force that made the arrest Friday morning.

"He did not his name or face and was using his Thai ID card, although it had expired three years ago," Naphol told Deutsche Press Agence in a telephone interview as police escorted Saner to Bangkok.

Saner is on the US's "most wanted US fugitive" list as the prime suspect in the murder of his wife, Sopha Yodpet, in California in January 1994.

Both Saner and Sopha, of Thai descent, were naturalized American citizens living in the US at the time of the murder.

Saner, from Nakorn Nayok province in Thailand, moved to the US when he was 21 and joined the US Air Force in the mid-1970s, rising to be a cargo supervisor at Travis Air Force Base, California.

Shortly after Sopha's body was discovered wrapped in a sleeping bag that had been dumped off Highway 1 in Marin County, California, Saner purchased a one-way ticket to Bangkok where he arrived on January 14, 1994, according to police records. Sopha was eight months pregnant when murdered.

Since his arrival in Thailand, Saner has gone missing, avoiding a joint Thai-US effort to track him down for the past 12 years.

Money talks, hot air walks !

[sriracha john]

Wikipedia link on the subject of this topic:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saner_Wonggoun

[sriracha john]

UPDATE...after 14 YEARS...he's been sent back to the USA, where he promptly confessed to the murder...

Saner Wonggoun was arrested by Thai authorities in Thailand in November 2006. He was returned to the U.S. on Feb. 15.

Associated Press

Ex-tech sergeant who killed wife returned to U.S.

A former tech sergeant who was a fugitive in Thailand for 14 years is back in the U.S. and has confessed to the 1994 murder of his wife and her fetus at Travis Air Force Base, Calif.

Saner Wonggoun, an American citizen of Thai descent, was arrested by Thai authorities in Thailand in November 2006 but was just returned to the U.S. on Feb. 15. He was turned over to agents from the Office of Special Investigations Detachment 303 at Travis, spokeswoman Linda Card said, and he subsequently confessed to the crime.

He is now being held in the Solano County, Calif., jail, Card said.

Wonggoun was serving as an air cargo supervisor at Travis in January 1994 when his wife was found beaten to death by the side of a road. She was eight months pregnant.

The airman allegedly fled the country when authorities in Marin County, Calif., tried to question him as part of the murder investigation.

Wonggoun then disappeared for more than 12 years.

“Mr. Wonggoun was able to use his Thai background and language skills to successfully avoid authorities for many years,” Card said.

In late 2006, the U.S. and Thailand announced a $27,000 reward for information leading to his arrest and released age-progression images to show what the suspect might look like. Thai authorities were quickly tipped off to his whereabouts, and an arrest was made just days later.

It was not immediately known whether Wonggoun will be prosecuted by the Air Force or the state of California.

- Air Force Times (USA)

[sriracha john]

Suspect in 1994 California murder returned from Thailand

FAIRFIELD, Calif.—A former sergeant at Travis Air Force Base who was charged in the 1994 slaying of his pregnant wife has been returned to California to face a court martial.

Saner Wonggoun left his two children and fled to Thailand before he could be questioned in the death of his wife. Her battered body was found wrapped in a sleeping bag in Marin County.

The man was born in Thailand and used his background to avoid arrest until 2006. There had been a $27,300 reward for his capture.

He fought extradition but finally was sent to the U.S. on Feb. 15, accompanied by federal marshals.

Linda Card, a spokeswoman for the Air Force Office of Investigations, said the 60-year-old suspect had an emotional reunion with his daughter at the air base before he was taken to Solano County Jail.

- Associated Press

[LoveDaBlues]

Wonder why he confessed? With a good lawyer he would have a good chance of winning in court.

[mikethevigoman]

$1 million reward

US authorities are offering a US$1-million (Bt37 million) reward for information leading to the arrest of a Thai-American man wanted for the murder of his pregnant wife nine years ago and who is believed to be in Thailand.

The man was identified as Saner Wongkuan, a former US Air Force first sergeant who is suspected of murdering his pregnant wife in the US in 1997. He is also wanted for abandoning his military service after the murder.

The US embassy will release detailed information about the suspect at a press conference today.

Thai police have tried to locate the suspect in coordination with US officials in Thailand but without success.

- The Nation

there was a very strange dude in foodland the other day, look like he had bought himself a new face ! and an awful one at that looked like michael jacksons brother ( was it him ? !