The killer of a black metal band singer has turned himself in to police but denied intending to murder the musician.
The 36-year-old Surrender of Divinity singer Samong Traisattha was stabbed to death at his home in Bangkok’s Sai Mai district on Jan 9.
The singer’s wife identified the murderer as Prakarn Harnphanbusakorn, who had visited Samong at home before committing the crime and fleeing the scene.
Mr Prakan, 26, was suspected of posting details of the murder on Facebook using the alias "Maleficent Meditation" a few days after Samong's murder. The Facebook posts claimed that he stabbed the singer more than 30 times while ignoring the victim's pleas for mercy.
The police have been hunting for Mr Prakan with no success. The man had been on the run since committing the crimes but came back to his house and was instructed to turn himself in to the police by his step-father on Tuesday.
Metropolitan police chief Kamronwit Thoopkrachang described the case as horrific since the killer stabbed the singer more than 30 times.
Mr Prakan denied intending to kill Samong.
He told police that he knew Samong personally because he liked black metal music. On the day of the killing the pair had discussed Satanism over a few beers. The discussion turned into an argument because the deceased did not really believe in the sect but still used Satan as the symbol of his band, Mr Prakan said.
He alleged that Samong had tried to attack him with a kitchen knife so he fought back, took the blade from him and stabbed him to death.
Mr Prakan also denied posting details of the murder on Facebook, saying that he had been afraid of being caught by police. He said he had spent the past month on the run in his car but resorted to going home where his step-father persuaded him to hand himself in.