Thitisan Utthanaphon was found guilty of murder in 2022 for torturing a suspect to death. (Thai News Pix/AFP pic)
BANGKOK: A former Thai police officer serving life in prison for murder was found dead in his cell and an investigation into his death has been launched, prison officials said today.
Thitisan Utthanaphon, nicknamed “Joe Ferrari” for his vast collection of luxury sports cars and flashy lifestyle, was found guilty of murder in 2022 for torturing a suspect to death during a brutal interrogation.
The high-profile case caused public outrage and shone a rare light on police brutality and corruption in the kingdom.
Thitisan was discovered unresponsive in his cell in a Bangkok prison last night, Thailand’s department of corrections said in a statement.
“Prison officials have been informed that one inmate named Thitisan Utthanaphon has been found dead,” the statement said.
The 44-year-old was found sitting against his cell door with “bruised fingers and no pulse”, the statement said.
CCTV footage showed nobody had entered the cell, but an autopsy is being conducted to determine the cause of death.
Thitisan, who had been in prison for more than three years, was diagnosed with an anxiety disorder and feared being harmed by other inmates, according to the statement.
He last received psychiatric treatment in February and was due to have another session in April.
The former cop made headlines in 2021 after leaked viral footage showed Thitisan and six other officers wrapping seven plastic bags around 24-year-old Jirapong Thanapat’s head while questioning him and trying to extort US$60,000, leading to his death.
After the footage leaked, the officer – a former district chief in the northern province of Nakhon Sawan – surrendered to police when they raided his Bangkok mansion and found a garage full of luxury cars.
