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A defrocked monk was already being
held on drug charges and has now also been charged for the murder of a
17-year-old monk’s assistant at a Phuket temple last Saturday.
The body of Myanmar teen Wei Pew Ar
was found outside a monk’s residence at Baan Don Temple in central
Phuket at 6am last Saturday.
He had been stabbed to death in a
vicious attack. His right arm, believed to have been used to fend off
the attack was nearly severed at the wrist.
Wei had been a monk’s assistant at the temple for a year.
Fingerprints on the knife found at
the scene matched those of 38-year-old Khitthisak Songkram, Thalang
Police Chief Col. Sompong Thiparpakul confirmed Wednesday.
Khitthisak was a monk at the temple under the name “Phra Khitthisak” at the time of his arrest last weekend.
Blood found on the monk’s robes also matched that of the victim, Col. Sompong added.
“We received the results from tests
conducted by Police Forensic Science Center 10 in Songkhla. With this
evidence, we charged Khitthisak with murder,” he said.
Khitthisak has already denied the charge and police have yet to reveal any possible motive for the brutal slaying.
Meanwhile, Khitthisak remains in detention at Phuket Provincial Court awaiting trial.
Source - PhuketNews / Coconuts
