The latest autopsy of a murdered Silpakorn University student confirms he was stabbed in the head with a screwdriver in an attack now being investigated by the Crime Suppression Division (CSD).
The victim suffered several injuries to his body, but the wound which led to his death was caused by the screwdriver, Institute of Forensic Medicine chief Pol Maj Gen Phonchai Suthirakhun insisted Monday, adding this post-mortem result matches the first one conducted by Ratchaburi Hospital which, he said, "already did a thorough autopsy".
The Institute of Forensic Medicine made the second examination to clear all doubts the victims' relatives may have harboured, he said.
Arirat Chomlok, the mother of Teerapong Thitathan who was killed on the night of Feb 25, said she was "satisfied" with the autopsy result and would take her son's body back to his home province of Chumphon's Thung Tako district.
"The body will be kept for 100 days," she said, adding her family will wait until the CSD has found the culprit, initially believed to be among 18 young assailant suspects who raided the dormitory of Teerapong and friends in Phetchaburi's Cha-am district that night.
The attack, believed to have stemmed from a quarrel over the girlfriend of one of the assailants, claimed the victim's life and left four other students badly hurt. However, the victims said Teerapong knew none of the attackers.
The 24-year-old was stabbed above his right ear. It is a soft area through which a screwdriver can be easily puncture and reach the brain, Pol Maj Phonchai Gen said.
The autopsy of Teerapong's body, which included a computerised tomography (CT) scan for detailed cross-sectional images, found another two stab wounds, also believed to have been caused by the screwdriver, but they were not severe, he said.
Doctors also examined Teerapong's nails to find if any traces of tissue were present that might prove useful in the probe, Pol Maj Gen Phonchai said.
The autopsy results were unveiled as CSD investigators prepare to take over the case from local police today after their agency was asked by Teerapong's family to look into the case.
The family wants the CSD's help because many suspects in the murder case are the sons of local influential figures, and they worried about their safety.
Relatives and friends of Teerapong have asked authorities to protect them during the investigation as they are concerned over their safety though police have found no threats or other irregularities, deputy national police chief Pol Gen Srivara Ransibrahmanakul said.
Investigators from the CSD's sub-division 5 will today escort all of the 18 suspects to the CSD headquarters for questioning, Pol Gen Srivara said.
An initial check found that none of them have murder records, he said.
Pol Gen Srivara also expected the officers to today receive a sound clip claimed by the victim's lawyer Songkran Atchariyasap to be a key item of evidence.
Meanwhile, deputy permanent secretary for justice Tawatchai Thaikyo said officials will on March 28 consider a request by the victim's family for compensation, which is granted by law in criminal cases.
