A suspect in the shooting and killing of a fugitive surnamed Shih (石) in Thailand earlier this year is to stand trial in Taipei for murder, local prosecutors said yesterday.
The suspect, a Taiwanese man surnamed Chou (周), handed a gun to his employer, a man surnamed Wang (王), which was then used to administer a fatal shot to Shih’s head at a rented house in Bangkok, the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said.
Although Taiwanese prosecutors also indicted Wang for murder, he is believed to have fled to Cambodia.
Photo: Wu Sheng-ju, Taipei Times
Of the six suspects in Shih’s killing, only Chou is in the custody of Taiwanese authorities.
The bullet-riddled body of Shih, who had been on the run from Taiwanese authorities since February last year, was found by Thai police in an abandoned house near Suvarnabhumi Airport on Feb. 25.
Investigations conducted by Thai police and Taiwan’s Criminal Investigation Bureau found that two other Taiwanese men, surnamed Hsu (許) and Lin (林), were involved in Shih’s murder.
Investigators said that Wang, who had been running a cannabis shop in Thailand, had long held a grudge against Shih.
On Feb. 25, Wang, Chou and Hsu asked Shih to meet at Wang’s rented house in Bangkok to “settle their disputes,” prosecutors said.
Lin, a mutual acquaintance of Wang and Shih, also showed up upon hearing word of the meeting, prosecutors added.
During a heated exchange, Wang fired a first shot into Shih’s left temple and then stored the gun in Chou’s room, they said.
However, after noticing that Shih was still alive and calling for help, Wang asked Chou to bring out the gun and shot Shih again, killing him, they said.
Wang then drove with Lin to dump Shih’s body, while Chou and Hsu cleaned up the crime scene, they said.
After meeting at the rented house again, the four men and Wang’s Thai girlfriend fled to Cambodia and split up. Chou returned to Taiwan on Feb. 26, after which he was brought in for questioning and subsequently detained, prosecutors said.
Hsu and Lin are also wanted for their involvement in the case, but their whereabouts are unknown. Wang’s girlfriend is being investigated by Thai authorities.
The prosecutors are also opening a separate case for Wang and Chou for contravening the Firearms, Ammunition and Knives Control Act (槍砲彈藥刀械管制條例).
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