The Criminal Court handed down death sentences yesterday to two men convicted of killing outspoken businessman Akeyuth Anchanbutr.
The sentences were then commuted to life in prison because they confessed.
Akeyuth's driver Santiphap Pengduang, 23, and accomplice Sutthipong Pimpisarn, 28, were convicted of plotting to rob the victim and strangling him to death. They were among six suspects, who included Santiphap's parents, charged in a case that lasted more than a year. Akeyuth was reported missing on June 6, 2013.
Santiphap Pengduang, left, and three other suspects in the Akeyuth Anchanbutr murder case appear in the Criminal Court for sentencing after being convicted of killing the businessman. Tawatchai Khemgumnerd
Santiphap's father, Sgt Maj First Class Itthiphon, 51, and mother, Chitamphai, were found guilty of receiving more than 4 million baht in stolen cash while another two men — Chawalit Wunchum, 23, and Thiwakon Kueathong, 18 — were convicted of helping Santiphap and Itthiphon hide the corpse in Patthalung.
Their crimes, which occurred between June 6 and 9, resulted in a blaze of publicity because Akeyuth, a well-known real estate businessman, was an outspoken and staunch critic of former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra and her fugitive elder brother Thaksin.
The 59-year-old was last seen on June 6, 2013, having dinner at a restaurant on Pradiphat Road in Bangkok.
Santiphap and Sutthipong admitted abducting Akeyuth and threatening him with a gun and a knife while he wrote out three cheques worth several million baht for them, the court said.
During the course of the abduction the pair took Akeyuth to several locations, including the victim's house and Suvarnabhumi airport. On their way from the airport, Akeyuth escaped from the vehicle but was chased down by Santiphap who then told Sutthipong to use a shoelace to strangle the victim to death, the court said.
Though there were no eyewitnesses to the crimes, there was overwhelming evidence and compelling testimony to back the murder charges, the court added.
Santiphap's elder sister admitted that her brother met her in Nakhon Si Thammarat to find a place to bury the corpse. Finding nowhere suitable, Santiphap and Sutthipong headed to Phatthalung where their car and another car driven by Thiwakon were seen by a witness at an abandoned farm in Muang district, where the corpse was later found.
The court found no evidence that Thiwakon and Chawalit colluded with Santiphap and Sutthipong to rob and kill Akeyuth but sentenced them to 19 months and eight months, respectively, for helping to hide Akeyuth's corpse in Khoa Ching Cho.
Santiphap's parents later confessed to receiving the stolen money and returned it to the authorities.
The court sentenced both to one year and four months in jail. The judge also ordered Santiphap and Sutthipong to pay Akeyuth's family 1.9 million baht in compensation.
Following yesterday's hearing, Santiphap said he would appeal his sentence.