A 27-year-old man has admitted to murdering a 54-year-old businessman in Nonthaburi following the suspect's arrest in Chumphon on Friday.
The murder took place on the night of May 20 at a condominium on Ngamwongwan Road in Nonthaburi, but police learnt about the incident last Sunday.
The victim was identified as Paisarn Tong-on. His body was left rotting in the condominium for several days and was found after people living nearby noticed the smell.
The suspect, Phurinat Karnjanabunyong, 27, was arrested on Friday in his home province of Chumphon and was sent to Nonthaburi police station for interrogation and legal proceedings.
He said he knew Paisarn for about a year and co-owned a clothing business with him, in which they together invested 5 million baht. He declined to give further information about the business and denied having a romantic relationship with the dead man.
Phurinat claimed he met with Paisarn for a talk at the condominium on the day of the incident. When he asked Paisarn about the investment in their business, they had a heated exchange, he said.
The suspect said the fight led him to attack his business partner with a knife, which he claimed he bought for self-protection on the way to see him.
He was charged with premeditated murder, theft using a weapon and vehicle and unnecessary possession of a weapon in an urban area.
He initially denied all charges but later confessed to his crime on Saturday. Phurinat graduated from a well-known university with a degree in law.
He came from a wealthy family that owns a durian farm in Chumphon, said police.
Meanwhile, the family of the dead man believe the suspect killed Paisarn to steal his property, not because of a business matter as he claimed.
They said Phurinat used Paisarn's mobile phone to make bank transactions to buy gold in Lat Phrao after the murder. He was also found to possess the victim's ID card and gold bars.
In addition, he texted Paisarn's niece, posing as Paisarn, to tell her to send him the victim's belongings, including important documents and his wallet.