Jenphop Weeraporn went to court in monk’s robes with a shaven head to plead not guilty to most of the charges against him today.
The charges stem from the car crash he caused on March 13 that killed two graduate students.
Jenphop, 37, confessed to reckless driving resulting in a fatality but pleaded not-guilty to the more serious charge against him, vehicular manslaughter while under the influence, according to Khaosod English.
He also denied all seven other charges against him including refusing a sobriety test, which leads automatically to the offense of driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
A few of the charges against him can be punished with sentences of up to a decade in jail. Some of the charges would also mean that Jenphop, a luxury car salesman, would no longer be legally allowed to drive.
The accident that he is being charged for saw Jenphop plow his Mercedes-Benz into the rear end of a Ford. He was driving at 250 kilometers per hour and the impact killed the Ford’s two occupants, Krissana Thaworn and Thantapat Horsaengchai.
The accused did not speak to the press at the courthouse and he has kept a low-profile since the accident, becoming ordained as a monk in an attempt to make merit for two students that lost their lives.
Jenphop’s uncle, Charoen Yodkaewlah, told the press that his nephew would remain in the monkhood for now.
Depending on the court’s schedule, his trial should start in July or August.
