Thai Supreme Court affirms death sentence for Spaniard

BANGKOK – Thailand’s Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld the death sentence given a Spanish man convicted of murdering a compatriot and dismembering his body in 2016.

Artur Segarra Princep had been convicted of killing David Bernat to steal his money. He had pleaded innocent.

Police believe Segarra held Bernat against his will and tortured him to force him to transfer money to his bank account, then killed him and chopped up his body to try to conceal the crime. He was also convicted of concealing a corpse and several other offences.

The victim’s body parts were found in Bangkok’s Chao Phraya River and traces of the victim’s bloodstains and DNA were found in Segarra’s Bangkok apartment.

During the investigation, police said they found a freezer in Segarra’s home that was believed to have been used to store the body, as well as a book with instructions on how to dismember bodies. Medical examiners said they believed Bernat died from suffocation.

Segarra escaped to Cambodia but was sent back to Thailand to face trial and was convicted in 2017, receiving a death sentence that was upheld by an appeals court in 2018.

Executions are rarely carried out in Thailand and Segarra can apply for a royal pardon or to serve part of his sentence in Spain.