Suspect in 1994 Calif. Murder Arrested in Thailand
BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) - A Thai-American man listed as a most-wanted fugitive by U.S. authorities for the 1994 slaying of his pregnant wife in California was arrested Friday in northern Thailand, police said.
The arrest of Saner Wonggoun, who was serving with the U.S. Air Force at the time of the killing, came two weeks after Thai and U.S. authorities announced a $27,300 reward for information leading to his capture.
Saner, 59, was arrested Friday morning in Phitsanulok province, 208 miles north of Bangkok, said Thai police spokesman Gen. Ajirawith Suphanaphesat.
He said police would conduct further investigations before making preparations to send him back to the United States.
Saner was a technical sergeant serving as an air cargo supervisor at Travis Air Force Base in California in January 1994 when the battered body of his wife, Sopha was found wrapped in a sleeping bag by the side of a road in Marin County. She was eight months pregnant.
Police went to question Saner about his wife’s death but found he had left their two children with a neighbor and purchased a one-way ticket to Bangkok, where immigration records show he arrived on Jan. 14, 1994, Thai and U.S. authorities said earlier this week.
Marin County prosecutors gave legal jurisdiction in the case to the Air Force 12 years ago, and Saner was charged with premeditated murder, said Capt. Christine Millette, an Air Force spokeswoman.
Saner will likely be tried in a military court martial at Travis Air Force Base, and could face the death penalty if convicted, Millette said.
It was not clear Friday when Saner will be returned to the United States, she said.
“The (Thai and U.S.) governments are talking right now and that will be decided in the next days or weeks,” Millette said.
U.S. Embassy legal attache Robert Burkes described the pursuit of Saner as a “priority” case, and Thai Deputy Police Commissioner Gen. Israphan Snitwongse had said he hoped the reward offer would revive the hunt to find the long-missing fugitive.
Authorities had circulated a photo of how Saner looked at the time of his disappearance, along with an artist’s renditions of how he might be expected to appear now.
“This is a great day now that we have the Air Force’s No. 1 fugitive in custody,” Brig. Gen. Dana Simmons said in a written statement. “His capture is a culmination of a lot of work.”
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Associated Press Writer Don Thompson in Sacramento contributed to this report.
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-> Posted by Melissa / Sep 08, 2007
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-> Posted by sophia wonggoun / Nov 22, 2006
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-> Posted by Faggot / Nov 18, 2006
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