Police arrested a waiter at a busy live music pub in Phuket for stabbing to death a country music singer at the venue early Sunday morning.
Police were called to the “Cowboy Return Music Seesan Gan-eng” live music pub on Surin Road at around 1:50am, where they found Srichan Inthaburi, 48, from Phang Nga, dead on the kitchen floor. He had been stabbed once in the chest and once in the abdomen.
Srichan was a regular country music performer and uncle of the pub’s owner.
Pub staff told police that Attapong “Odd” Chanasik, a 21-year-old former waiter at the pub, had an argument with Srichan after he was fired for arriving late to work.
Staff told police that Attapong left the venue, but came back later in a drunken state and smashed a bottle of beer against the wall next to the kitchen where Srichan was eating.
When challenged by Srichan, Attapong threatened him with a knife. Srichan backed off into the kitchen and Attapong followed and stabbed him twice.
Attapong then reportedly ran out of the pub and fled on a motorbike.
Police later arrested Attapong at his girlfriend’s house in Wichit at about 3:30am
They found the murder weapon on him, a stainless steel knife with a 10-centimeter blade.
During questioning, Attapong told police a different story than what the rest of the staff had said.
The suspect told police he arrived late to work “as usual” and the pub was busy, full of customers.
He also said that customers bought him cocktails. When he was drunk, he said that he went to sleep at the cashier counter of the pub.
Doesn’t make him sound like a model employee, does it?
Attapong then claimed that Srichan hit him over the head with an ice bucket then dragged him by the neck to the back of the kitchen.
Srichan became violent and started to hit and kick him, Attapong alleged.
The suspect said he grabbed a kitchen knife and put it in his back pocket, but Srichan continued to hit him, so Attapong stabbed Srichan twice.
He said he then asked his friend, another waiter, to take him to his girlfriend’s house. At the time, he said, he did not know that Srichan was dead.
Attapong has been charged with murder and carrying a knife in a public place without a valid reason.
The investigation is ongoing.
Story: The Phuket News
