An autopsy report has confirmed that Thitisan “Joe Ferrari” Utthanaphon, a former police colonel convicted in the torture-murder of a drug suspect, committed suicide while in custody at Klong Prem Central Prison in Bangkok.
The findings were outlined in a statement released on Saturday by the Rights and Liberties Protection Department at the Ministry of Justice.
Thitisan was found hanged in his cell at the maximum security prison on March 7. He had been convicted along with five subordinates of murdering a 24-year-old drug suspect by placing black plastic bags over his head at the Muang district police station in Nakhon Sawan in 2021.
The department reviewed autopsy reports from the Central Institute of Forensic Science and King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital, as well as evidence from the Royal Thai Police. It then prepared a summary in its capacity as the secretariat for the Committee on the Prevention and Suppression of Torture and Enforced Disappearance.
A ligature mark approximately 1.2 centimetres wide and 14cm long was found under Thitisan’s Adam’s apple, running diagonally towards the right ear.
No signs of facial bruising or petechiae — tiny spots of bleeding under the skin — were found. Minor abrasions on the inner left upper arm were consistent with post-mortem insect bites, the autopsy report said.
Other bruises found on his waist and back were estimated to be one or two weeks old.
Substances found in his system included the antidepressant fluoxetine, the sleep-inducing substance 7-Aminoclonazepam (a metabolite of clonazepam), and propranolol, used to treat high blood pressure.
No sign of struggle
No signs of external assault or muscle bruising beneath the neck mark were found. The diagonal pattern of the ligature and lack of struggle indicated a self-inflicted hanging.
Prison officials were notified of an inmate’s death at 8.50pm on March 7. The prisoner was found sitting against his cell door with “bruised fingers and no pulse”, the Department of Corrections said in a statement at the time. A towel around his neck was tied to the cell door.
The official cause of death was determined to be asphyxiation due to suicide by hanging, according to a summary of the autopsy report.
Investigators are preparing to submit the case to a prosecutor for next steps, the Rights and Liberties Protection Department said.
At the time of his death, Thitisan had served 3 years and 6 months of a sentence of life imprisonment in Zone 5 at the prison.
The high-profile torture-murder case took on additional notoriety after it was revealed that Thitisan was unusually wealthy. He came by the nickname “Joe Ferrari” because of his large collection of luxury sports cars and a flashy lifestyle, which included a mansion in Bangkok.