The former Thai police chief, who was sentenced to life imprisonment for the death of a torture suspect three years ago, died in his Bangkok prison cell.
According to a preliminary autopsy, he died of suicide by Thitisan utthanaphon, nicknamed Joe Ferrari for many of his luxury cars.
In 2021, a leaked video showed Thitisan and his colleagues wrapped plastic bags on the head of a 24-year-old drug suspect during the interrogation, causing the suspect to die.
At the time, the video caused anger across the country, police brutality against Thailand. After Thitisant died, it made a new round on social media.
The Thai Justice Ministry called for an investigation into his death because his family suspected he had committed suicide. Further tests will be conducted to confirm that he did die of suicide.
The family said that Thituant was previously attacked by prison staff. They said officials did not allow them to see his body, which was found in his cell on Friday.
But authorities said Sunday: “No prison officials or inmates were injured or caused [his] die”.
Previous raids of the Thitisant’s house showed that he owned twelve luxury sports cars. Authorities believe he owns at least 42, one of which is the rare Lamborghini Aventador Anniversario, with only 100 of them being priced in Thailand at a price of 47 million baht ($1.45 million; £1.05 million).
As a police colonel, Thisitisant’s monthly salary is about $1,000.
He was accused of asking the suspect to bribe in a viral video tape Jirapong Thanapat while suffocating him to death. Thisitisant denied this.
In addition to Thitasant, five other police officers were convicted of murdering Jirapong and sentenced to life imprisonment in 2022.
The Department of Corrections said they have been investigating previous complaints from Thitisant’s family, saying he was bullied and beaten by prison officials earlier this year.
The department said Thatant had consulted a doctor about anxiety and sleep difficulties.
It said his family visited him the day he died and prison staff did not notice any “abnormality”.
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