Autur Segarra Princep, 37, pleaded not guilty in the Criminal Court Wednesday to charges he killed and dismembered a Spanish compatriot in Bangkok in January.

A smiling Mr Segarra arrived at court and entered his plea in the murder case of David Bernat, 40, after hearing the list of charges. The court set a hearing date to examine evidence for July 11.

Prosecutors have indicted Mr Segarra on charges of premeditated murder, kidnapping, body concealment, torture and theft.

They told the court that between Jan 20-30, the defendant held his Spanish friend in his room at the PG Rama IX condominium in Huai Khwang district and tortured the victim to reveal an ATM pin number.

Mr Segarra allegedly stole 734,940 baht from Bernat and forced him to take drugs until he passed out. Then he covered the victim's head with a plastic bag and strangled him, prosecutors alleged.

Mr Segarra put the body in a freezer before using an angle grinder to dismember the frozen corpse. He packed the body parts in black plastic bags and took them on a motorcycle to the Chao Phraya River where he dumped them.

The body parts were fished out from several locations in Nonthaburi and Bangkok in early February. Bernat was a highly-paid adviser to a foreign firm.

Immigration police said Mr Segarra had travelled to Thailand 13 times in recent years. His latest entry was late last year. He had a Thai wife and fled to Cambodia via Surin province before being arrested on Feb 7 and sent back to Thailand.

Source:
courtesy of BANGKOK POST

by Bangkok Post

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