Police seek order to detain mum killer

>>Police have sought the court’s approval to detain in custody a man who is charged with chopping up his mother, after he agreed to taking police through a crime re-enactment yesterday in Chiang Rai’s Wiang Pa Pao district.

Pol Capt Prasert Padee, deputy investigation inspector of Wiang Pa Pao station, said yesterday he has sought approval from Chiang Rai provincial court to detain Phakin Mahasap, 35, deputy village head, after he performed a mock re-enactment of the crime. He is accused of murdering his mother, Arunee Chonlasap, 53, and chopping up the body to hide the body parts separately, on Thursday in Wiang Pa Pao district.

Police said Mr Phakin told them how he had dug up his mother’s head from where he hid it in a roadside forest, 15km from where the killing took place. The attack came after a row triggered by Arunee’s discovery that he had raped his daughter.

The mother was going to tell police about the rape, and her son killed her in a fit of rage, police said. He put other parts in a fridge and threw some body parts away into a nearby forest.

Mr Phakin was arrested on Friday afternoon shortly after returning from activities with his village head and neighbours. As part of the re-enactment, he displayed his pickup truck that was used to transport her body parts, and showed police a 20-cm knife used to kill her. Mr Phakin apologised to his dead mother and admitted all allegations.

Villagers were barred from getting close to the re-enactment scene. Neighbours were reported to be in shock as Phakin was normally a quiet man who showed no inclination to violence.