A 23-year-old man has been arrested in Phayao after allegedly beating his uncle to death with a hammer before attempting to dump his body by the roadside.
Police from Pong Police Station arrested Mr Prasanmit, 23, at his home in Pong district on September 7, 2016, following the discovery of his 47-year-old uncle’s body in roadside bushes the previous afternoon.
According to the initial investigation, Prasanmit allegedly attacked his uncle at their home on the evening of September 3 following an argument over money. He also became angry after being reprimanded by his uncle about his work.
Police said Prasanmit admitted during questioning that he picked up a hammer and struck his uncle while the older man was sitting in a hammock beneath the house. The blows reportedly hit his uncle’s head and ear, causing his death.
He then allegedly placed the body in the back of his father’s pickup truck and drove away in an attempt to dispose of it.
However, the plan reportedly went wrong when the pickup stalled while travelling up a hill near a local health centre. Unable to continue driving, Prasanmit allegedly removed the body from the truck and carried it to nearby roadside bushes, where he left it.
He then reportedly reversed the pickup and parked it about 100 metres away before walking back home. Villagers later discovered the body on the afternoon of September 6, prompting police to investigate and identify Prasanmit as a suspect.
Police, together with forensic investigators from Phayao, collected evidence from the scene and the pickup truck, including bloodstains found in the vehicle and the hammer believed to have been used in the attack.
Investigators also took Prasanmit to the crime scene to reconstruct the incident and document his account of what happened.
He has been charged with murder as well as concealing, moving or destroying a corpse or parts of a corpse to cover up the death or its cause. Police said he will face further legal proceedings.
Authorities also said Prasanmit had previously been arrested in connection with firearms and drug-related offences.
