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Ronald Fanelli, sentenced 17 months after committing a murder

Phuket Bar Hostess Killing: Fanelli Sentenced to 10 Years, 3 Months

Thursday, November 3, 2011
PHUKET: Ronald Fanelli, the former US Navy officer who was convicted this week of murdering a Phuket bar hostess and sentenced to 10 years and three months in jail, will be given the opportunity to move to another prison - if the US Embassy requests it.

Fanelli, once known in online poker circles as ''Mad Yank,'' killed Karon Sweetheart Bar worker Wanpen Pienjai last year and stuffed her naked body into a suitcase, dumping it on a deserted road in central Phuket, where it was not found for several days.

The murder of the mother of two came 24 hours after Fanelli picked her up at the bar, and only Fanelli knows what transpired between the time he rode off with her on the back of his motorcycle and the killing.

At a media briefing after his arrest, Fanelli, in response to a series of questions from a Phuketwan reporter, described the killing as ''a horrible, horrible accident.''

Difficult to explain, though, was how the ''horrible accident'' came to involve two stab wounds, one to her chest and the other to her back.

Fanelli was twice sent to Suan Saranrom Hospital in Surat Thani for psychiatric examinations, one of them very lengthy, during which he was found to be sane.

The killing was followed by almost a month when Phuket City police pursued the few leads they had about the bearded expat who was seen riding away by other staff at the bar, but with no strong clues as to his identity.

The time Fanelli has already served in Surat Thani and the overcrowded Phuket Prison will be deducted from his sentence. He may choose to appeal.
Phuket Bar Hostess Killer 'Found to be Sane'
Latest The long psychiatric test of confessed bar hostess killer Ronald Fanelli is over, and the expert assessment is that the former US navy officer is sane and capable of standing trial.
Phuket Bar Hostess Killer 'Found to be Sane'

Phuket Bar Girl's Killer Plays the Insanity Card
Latest From card sharp to crackpot: Psychiatrists in the Thai prison system remain puzzled over the rapid decline in the once normal responses of accused murderer Ronald Fanelli.
Phuket Bar Girl's Killer Plays the Insanity Card

Phuket Hostess Killer Undergoes Psychiatric Check
Update Hostess killer and poker player Ronald Fanelli is in Surat Thani undergoing psychiatric tests that may explain why he killed Sweetheart Bar mother of two Wanpen Pianchai.
Phuket Hostess Killer Undergoes Psychiatric Check

Phuket Bar Killing: Inside the Mind of the 'Mad Yank'
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 Friends Join Sweethearts Killing Reenactment
Latest The friends and workmates of murdered bar hostess Wanpen Pianchai today saw the clean shaven man who has been arrested over her murder and felt a sense of relief.
Phuket Friends Join Sweethearts Killing Reenactment

Phuket Hostess Killing: Police Nab American Expat
Breaking News An American man has been arrested over the killing of a Phuket bar hostess and police say he has confessed to the brutal murder.
Phuket Hostess Killing: Police Nab American Expat

Comments

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(moderated)

Posted by Tanya Millibank on November 3, 2011 21:27

Editor Comment:

Thai law restricts commenting on sentences.

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The more I read about this tragic murder the more I feel for the poor womens family. Ed can you tell me is there an appeal for her child that I can donate to, please

Posted by Arthur on November 4, 2011 06:11

Editor Comment:

There was an appeal held by the Gazette and Patong Rotary around the time of the murder, Arthur. They could tell you how it stands now.

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Is it possible to comment on clauses if they do not end in a full stop and are therefore not considered to be sentences under law?

Posted by Andy on November 4, 2011 12:56

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What about questions, metaphors, similes or statements of fact. Are those restricted?

Posted by Martin on November 4, 2011 13:19

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Thanks Ed I will contact Gazette to see about donating.

Posted by arthur on November 5, 2011 05:43


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