Years of partying and posting bogus six-pack photos may finally be over for the man who dragged an unconscious woman into his Bangkok condominium and later dumped her body in the lobby.
Rachadech Wongthabutr has been ordered to serve eight years in prison after losing his appeal today. The Court of Appeal this morning upheld the 2020 conviction of Rachadech, who in 2019 took Thitim “Bell” Noraphanpiphat home from an event where she had been plied with alcohol until losing consciousness.
He had been convicted in 2020 of abducting her with the intent of sexually assaulting her, resulting in her death.
Five codefendants, who also attended the party, were convicted two years ago for colluding with Rachadech in his plan. The court today vacated the convictions of two of the codefendants.
The court affirmed the lower court’s sentences of five years and four months for Chaiyaphon Panna, the owner of the home who threw the party, his wife Phikulthong Boonpha, Chaiyaphon’s brother Nathee Sathitpongsathaporn, and Pathanan Raksakul.
The convictions of Kritsada Lohidee and Koset Ritnitiruek were overturned.
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Both Thitima and Rachadech had been hired to provide entertainment in September 2019 at a house party in northwestern metro Bangkok.
After a day of heavy drinking, Rachadech loaded Thitim into his car in the late afternoon and drove her unconscious back to his condo in Bangkok’s Thonburi district. There, she was last seen being carried into Rachadech’s room and, hours later, carried back down to the lobby, where she was discovered dead the next morning by her friends who had come to pick her up.
Since he was freed on bail to appeal his October 2020 conviction, Rachadech has been living large, frequently posting photos on social media of parties, sports cars, large sums of money, and his shirtless body. Just last night, he posted stories at a craft beer bar set to the Eminem song Killer.
Rachadech posted this photo on the third anniversary of Thitim’s death.
