Confession of suspect (27) after murder of Swiss tourist
Photo: Bangkok Post
Police have arrested a 27-year-old Thai man from Phuket for the murder of a Swiss tourist. The man confessed that he wanted to rape Nicole Sauvain-Weisskopf (57), but says he had no intention of killing her.
Two days after her death, the remains were found at a waterfall in Phuket. The suspect's confession followed an intense interrogation of the man, who had gone to the site to collect wild orchids, Thai media reported.
The suspect killed the woman by strangling her and pushing her head into the water after she resisted, according to a police source. She lay face down in the water between the rocks. Her body was covered with a black sheet.
Police were able to quickly track down the suspect, who lived not far from the crime scene, after he was spotted on a motorcycle near the crime scene by a security camera. Prior to his arrest, police saw someone riding the same motorcycle. They give chase to confiscate the motorcycle for examination. However, when police chased the man to his home, they realized he was the one they were looking for, a police source said.
DNA samples have been taken from the suspect and sent to Bangkok for inspection to see if there is a match with some of the DNA samples from the victim's body.
A criminal background check revealed that the man, a former professional kickboxer, was arrested last year and charged with possession of narcotics.
Source: Bangkok Post
It's nice that there are security cameras everywhere in Thailand, even on rural roads. And of course it is inevitable that this image represents the suspect!
The suspicious man on his scooter is standing still on the right side of the road, leaning his left foot on the road and looking at the camera. It's like he's saying something like, "Hello, look, here I am!"
Anyway, he confessed after a tough interrogation. He also had some wounds on his body, an earlier report said, which are said to have been caused by falling on the rocks.
So basically it's never good what the Thai police do? If they don't arrest anyone, then they are corrupt or incapable. If they pick up Burmese then it is for the stage and they have found the perpetrators. If they pick up a Thai, it's not good either, because he looks into a camera and has bruises. It's going to be so hard.....
Yes, to be honest, my distrust of the Thai police is quite high. In addition, the Thai mainstream media (MSM) does not ask critical questions. Why not wait for the DNA results, for example? Why be so sure of yourself so quickly? He's already been convicted.
It's nice that we already know his name and face. We are waiting for the reconstruction.
@ Peter,
In matters with which one can show off, such as the so-called quick solving of a crime or showing drug catches, one is quite good. Whether it will all hold up in court is another question, but strange things happen worldwide https://www.npostart.nl/de-villamoord/KN_1711806
Going out with a black sheet and then looking for orchids? How can you come up with it and it can never be ruled out that it is convenient that a drug suspect lives in the area and has been given a choice. Fraud can be committed with DNA, so that doesn't necessarily mean much and after the desired conviction on stage, no one cares whether the sentence is actually carried out. One interest (getting tourists in) is sometimes greater than another.
I find it strange, the footage from the resort's camera says 11:25 am….
8 minutes later on a camera along the beach 11h33…
on the camera where the man is standing with his scooter 10h01… , so he was already there 1h24 before the woman left. From this I conclude that the police have checked everyone who passed through there that morning. Either great detective work or the local police have been very lucky.
Any way you look at it, it's sad that things like this happen.
What frightens me is that it is stated that this man was 'aroused' by a lonely 57 year old woman (with all due respect to her age) and this is not the first time that someone has lost their life for that reason, I have a daughter of 13 and sometimes hold my heart (together with Thai parents of her girlfriends!!!) when they want to enjoy the skateboard opportunity in the park together (sometimes 2 -4 hours away) You can't even THAT 24/ 7 offer protection………it can happen to anyone anywhere, unfortunately, fortunately we are intensively patrolled, we as parents take turns to have a sneak peek in the car, but it will happen to you, our condolences go out to everyone who loved the victim!
Dear Ronny in this case luck has not been part of the event. Such camera image research is always applied for a period that is specifically characterized. In this case, a long period before the lady in question walked from her hotel to the waterfall and a longer period after the rape, assault and murder or manslaughter. Strangely enough, perpetrators sometimes return to the crime scene. So that takes a lot of hours. Often, a neighborhood (environmental) investigation will be set up to gather as much information as possible from witnesses. So others who have been visible on the camera images will also be questioned. Everything has to do with accumulating evidence.
Much can be solved if enough time, money and manpower can be invested in such an investigation. In addition to being very sad for those involved, this research is also politically sensitive and then no expense is spared. What irritates me is the way news about this is spread and shared. Also that those uniforms are always brought into view and are apparently very important. That's not the point. The interests of the victim and next of kin must come first. Finding the truth and being able to do so in peace is important and everything else can only harm such an investigation, because everyone thinks something about it, including the legal profession and ultimately the judge(s).
As we all know, the legal and convincing evidence must be provided by several facts and or circumstances that conclusively demonstrate the crime committed. Cameras are a great addition to that. A declaratory suspect who confesses (partially) guilt. The statements must also show that there is knowledge of the perpetrator and this may already be known, but not yet shared with the outside world. Traces (DNA) of the rape/rapist have apparently been found and are being investigated, which is another thing that Tino is right about, because suppose this does not match. I always find it striking that the suspects here in Thailand cooperate with the reconstructions, so let's wait and see how this will go here. But no matter how you look at it, this investigation has quickly led to this suspect and that can be attributed to the police.
The coverage here in Phuket is different (see link below). According to the suspect, the woman was not raped at all. He just wanted her money… https://www.thephuketnews.com/sandbox-tourist-killer-confesses-to-attacking-swiss-woman-denies-intent-to-murder-rape-80978.php
Due to Covid he had no income whatsoever. That is happening to millions of people in Thailand right now. I am now in Phuket because I wanted to use Phuket Sandbox after a short stay in the Netherlands. I feel very connected to Nicole because just like me she was a woman alone here, likes to walk, stayed in the same hotel, had 2 sons and a husband…
It's horrible what happened to Nicole. The more I think about it, the more I feel ashamed that I didn't do more to help desperate people. It is so simple to help people get an income again. Here in Phuket, for example, there is a lot of litter on the beach. What foreigner is not willing to pay an extra 200 baht to keep the beaches clean? More than 1 landed on Phuket in 14.000 month. 14.000 x 200 = 2.800.000 baht. You can give a lot of people a nice income from that.
And if a suspect says something, is that immediately the truth? His DNA traces have been found in the woman's body, how could they get there?