CONFESSED killer Ronald Fanelli has volunteered for a psychiatric examination as he seeks an explanation for the brutal slaying of Phuket bar hostess Wanpen Pianchai.
With what now seems to be perhaps a case of ironic premonition, Fanelli once played Internet poker using the alias ''Mad Yank.''
The former US Navy officer appeared to be distracted when he was brought before Phuket's media on July 19, two days after his capture. He had been on the run for four weeks and a day since Khun Wanpen vanished from the Sweethearts Bar in Karon.
Many unanswered questions remain about the killing. Mr Fanelli now appears to be keen to have some of those questions answered and has asked his lawyer to apply for a psychiatric examination.
The manhunt for the then-unknown killer of Khun Wanpen began six days after she rode off on a motorcycle with a bearded stranger, when her naked body was found stuffed into a travel bag by a quiet Phuket roadside.
The weeks in Phuket Prison appear to have given Mr Fanelli plenty to think about. Phuketwan was struck back in July at the media presentation by his demeanor.
He appeared distracted. He admitted to killing Khun Wanpen, but described it as ''a horrible, horrible accident.'' Others have been wondering what would lead a sane man to stab a naked woman twice then try to dispose of her body.
Mr Fanelli did say that at the time he picked up the bar hostess, he was distressed at the departure of his Thai wife and child for their home up north, short on cash and apparently helped over the edge by the failure of his Internet connection.
Khun Wanpen, possibly wondering whether he was going to pay her, allegedly became playful but annoying. He stabbed her twice, once in the back and once in the chest.
Khun Wanpen remained alive in Mr Fanelli's company for about 24 hours, according to police. The problem for those still looking for answers is that only Mr Fanelli's version of what took place survives.
If his application succeeds, he will be taken to Surat Thani, where the headquarters for all of south Thailand's police and prison medical procedures are based, for a full psychiatric examination.
Having a killer on the loose in July on Phuket was a prelude to August and another killer on the loose on the island after an expat slaying of a different kind. Police are still hunting English kickboxer Lee Aldhouse over the murder of former US Marine DaShawn Longfellow on August 14.
Phuket Bar Killing: Inside the Mind of the 'Mad Yank'With what now seems to be perhaps a case of ironic premonition, Fanelli once played Internet poker using the alias ''Mad Yank.''
The former US Navy officer appeared to be distracted when he was brought before Phuket's media on July 19, two days after his capture. He had been on the run for four weeks and a day since Khun Wanpen vanished from the Sweethearts Bar in Karon.
Many unanswered questions remain about the killing. Mr Fanelli now appears to be keen to have some of those questions answered and has asked his lawyer to apply for a psychiatric examination.
The manhunt for the then-unknown killer of Khun Wanpen began six days after she rode off on a motorcycle with a bearded stranger, when her naked body was found stuffed into a travel bag by a quiet Phuket roadside.
The weeks in Phuket Prison appear to have given Mr Fanelli plenty to think about. Phuketwan was struck back in July at the media presentation by his demeanor.
He appeared distracted. He admitted to killing Khun Wanpen, but described it as ''a horrible, horrible accident.'' Others have been wondering what would lead a sane man to stab a naked woman twice then try to dispose of her body.
Mr Fanelli did say that at the time he picked up the bar hostess, he was distressed at the departure of his Thai wife and child for their home up north, short on cash and apparently helped over the edge by the failure of his Internet connection.
Khun Wanpen, possibly wondering whether he was going to pay her, allegedly became playful but annoying. He stabbed her twice, once in the back and once in the chest.
Khun Wanpen remained alive in Mr Fanelli's company for about 24 hours, according to police. The problem for those still looking for answers is that only Mr Fanelli's version of what took place survives.
If his application succeeds, he will be taken to Surat Thani, where the headquarters for all of south Thailand's police and prison medical procedures are based, for a full psychiatric examination.
Having a killer on the loose in July on Phuket was a prelude to August and another killer on the loose on the island after an expat slaying of a different kind. Police are still hunting English kickboxer Lee Aldhouse over the murder of former US Marine DaShawn Longfellow on August 14.
Latest One of Phuket's most brutal murders involving an expat leaves questions unanswered. Now an old friend of Ronald 'Mad Yank' Fanelli fills in some of the gaps.
Phuket Bar Killing: Inside the Mind of the 'Mad Yank'
Phuket Bar Hostess Killing a 'Horrible Accident'
PHOTO ALBUM The stabbing of a Phuket bar hostess was a 'horrible accident', says an American who has been on the island for three years and who says he was previously a US Navy officer.
Phuket Bar Hostess Killing a 'Horrible Accident'
Phuket Expat Deaths Hit 49, Plus Recent Drownings
Exclusive Report The Phuket governor's meeting with 22 national representatives on Monday will be told there have been 49 expat deaths on Phuket to August 17, minus three drownings.
Phuket Expat Deaths Hit 49, Plus Recent Drownings
Phuket Kickbox Killing: Cam Shows 'Man in Black' With Knives
PHOTO ALBUM Newly viewed footage from inside a Phuket 7 Eleven store shows a man who looks like hunted fugitive Lee Aldhouse demanding knives shortly before a fatal stabbing death.
Phuket Kickbox Killing: Cam Shows 'Man in Black' With Knives
Phuket Farewells Longfellow on Final Journey
Manhunt Update Heading for Bangkok and a connecting flight to the US is the body of murder victim DaShawn Longfellow, returning home six days after falling victim to a cowardly knife attack.
Phuket Farewells Longfellow on Final Journey
As the Joker so rightly said:
Insanity is just like gravity....all it takes is one little push.
Posted by Sandman on August 22, 2010 15:05