Chinese Cao Ke, 20, is stabbed to death in a Sattahip love triangle after student Thanachot returns from a Pattaya night shift and finds him with his girlfriend. Thanachot flees towards Pattaya, then surrenders to police and faces a murder charge.
A suspected love triangle ended in a fatal stabbing after a 20-year-old Chonburi student returned from an overnight Pattaya security shift and found a Chinese man with his girlfriend inside her Sattahip apartment. Thanachot told police a violent struggle followed before Cao Ke, 20, was stabbed to death. He fled towards Pattaya but surrendered hours later after learning Cao had died. His injured 21-year-old girlfriend was found covered in blood at the scene. Thanachot now faces an intentional murder charge as police investigate whether jealousy and the discovery of the pair triggered the killing.
A 20-year-old college student was arrested on Saturday after a Chinese man was stabbed to death inside a Sattahip apartment. Police say the suspect returned from an overnight security shift and found the man with his girlfriend.
A violent struggle followed inside the bedroom before the suspect fled towards Pattaya. Hours later, he contacted police and surrendered after learning the Chinese national had died.
Thanachot, 20, was taken into custody at about 9.50 am on August 8. He is a student at a college in Chonburi province. Separately, he worked overnight as a security guard at an entertainment venue in Pattaya.
Police charge Chonburi college student with murder after Chinese man found dead in Sattahip apartment
Officers found a cut wound on his abdomen when he surrendered. Police subsequently charged him with intentional murder and opened a wider investigation into the confrontation.
The dead man was identified as Cao Ke, 20, a Chinese national. Police are checking his personal information and attempting to locate his relatives.
At the same time, investigators are examining the relationships between Cao, Thanachot and a 21-year-old woman. Police sources said Cao was involved in a relationship with the woman. Investigators said she already had a boyfriend.
Najomtien Police were alerted to the stabbing at about 7.10 am on Saturday. The incident occurred at an apartment in Soi Najomtien 30, Najomtien subdistrict. Officers rushed to the property and entered the bedroom. There, they found blood scattered across the room and Cao lying beside a bed.
Forensic officers examine blood-stained bedroom as injured woman is taken for treatment and questioning
The Chinese national was wearing a white shirt and black shorts. He had suffered multiple stab wounds and was pronounced dead at the scene. In response, police immediately cordoned off the room and restricted access.
Forensic officers then entered the apartment and began collecting evidence surrounding the killing. Investigators also started examining CCTV footage from the property.
A 21-year-old woman staying inside the room was also injured. Officers found her covered in blood and visibly frightened following the confrontation. She was taken for medical treatment and further questioning. As part of this, investigators began examining how she was injured and what she witnessed inside the bedroom.
Initially, the woman told police she had been sleeping before the violence began. She said a scream woke her during the confrontation. She then saw that Cao had been stabbed and called for help. Notably, police are checking that account against forensic evidence, witness statements and other information gathered from the apartment.
Police examine possible relationship dispute as CCTV captures man leaving apartment after fatal stabbing
Police sources said Cao was involved in a relationship with the woman. Investigators are therefore examining whether a dispute involving the three preceded the stabbing.
In particular, officers are checking whether Thanachot returned from work and discovered Cao inside the room. Police sources said an argument may have followed before the fatal attack.
However, police stressed that the relationships and precise motive remain under investigation. Detectives have not announced a final conclusion about what triggered the confrontation. Instead, they are assembling forensic evidence, witness statements and CCTV footage. That material will help reconstruct events before, during and immediately after the stabbing.
The suspect had already left by the time officers reached the apartment. Nevertheless, CCTV footage reportedly captured a man leaving the room following the attack. The footage showed him walking away from the apartment. Police then began searching for the suspect while forensic teams continued examining the blood-stained bedroom.
Suspect surrenders after learning Cao had died. Tells police he found a stranger inside girlfriend’s room
Thanachot later contacted officers himself after discovering that Cao had died. He told police he wanted to surrender and was arrested at approximately 9.50 am. His arrest came about two hours and 40 minutes after police received the first report. Significantly, officers also documented the cut wound on his abdomen when he surrendered.
During initial questioning, Thanachot provided his account of the hours leading to the killing. He said he had spent the night working as a security guard in Pattaya. Specifically, he had been on duty at an entertainment venue before returning to Najomtien that morning. He then went to his girlfriend’s apartment after completing his overnight shift.
According to Thanachot, he opened the room and found an unfamiliar man lying on the bed. He then confronted Cao while holding a knife. Thanachot claimed he intended to use the weapon to intimidate the Chinese man. However, he told investigators that Cao attempted to grab the knife and attack him.
Thanachot tells police bedroom struggle ended in stabbing before he fled the apartment towards Pattaya
A physical struggle then developed inside the bedroom, according to Thanachot’s statement. He said the two men grappled and choked each other during the confrontation. During the struggle, control of the knife became central to the fight. Eventually, Thanachot said he regained possession of the weapon and stabbed Cao.
Thanachot claimed he had not intended to kill the Chinese national. Even so, he fled the apartment immediately after the stabbing and headed towards Pattaya.
CCTV footage reportedly recorded a man leaving the room and walking away. Meanwhile, police and emergency personnel were called to the apartment in Najomtien.
By the time officers arrived, Cao could not be saved. Police found him beside the bed amid blood scattered throughout the bedroom. Consequently, investigators began treating the death as a murder case. Forensic officers sealed the scene while detectives started tracing the suspect’s movements away from the property.
Police test suspect’s account against forensic evidence as questions remain over his abdominal injury
On another front, officers examined the injured woman’s role in the sequence of events. She had remained at the apartment after the stabbing and called for help. Police subsequently arranged medical treatment before questioning her about what happened. Investigators are also establishing how she became covered in blood and suffered her injuries.
Thanachot later learned that Cao had died following the confrontation.
He then contacted police and arranged to surrender. Upon taking him into custody, officers recorded his abdominal injury and began questioning him. Police subsequently filed the intentional murder charge while continuing to investigate his account.
Investigators are now testing Thanachot’s statement against evidence recovered from the apartment. In parallel, forensic findings will be compared with his description of the struggle over the knife. Police are also examining whether his abdominal wound corresponds with the confrontation he described. No conclusion about that injury has been announced.
CCTV, witness account and forensics used to reconstruct movements surrounding Sattahip killing
CCTV footage is providing another line of evidence. Investigators are reviewing recordings showing a man leaving the apartment after the stabbing. Additionally, police are collecting further footage from the surrounding area. Detectives are using those recordings to reconstruct movements before and after the killing.
The 21-year-old woman remains central to that reconstruction. Police are examining what she witnessed and how she was injured during the incident.
Furthermore, detectives are comparing her initial account with evidence recovered from the bedroom. Her relationships with Cao and Thanachot are also being examined.
Police are separately checking Cao’s movements before he arrived at the apartment. Investigators want to establish the circumstances surrounding his presence in the room. They are also examining his relationship with the woman. Likewise, Thanachot’s movements after completing his overnight security shift form part of the investigation.
Detectives reconstruct final minutes before stabbing as relationship issues are investigated
Detectives are concentrating on the period immediately before the 7.10 am emergency report. They are establishing when Thanachot reached the apartment and what happened after he entered. Investigators are also examining how the knife became involved in the confrontation. Finally, they are reconstructing the struggle which ended with Cao fatally wounded.
The possibility of a relationship dispute remains one part of the investigation. However, police have stressed that the exact motive has not been conclusively established.
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Officers are continuing to gather witness statements, forensic findings and additional CCTV footage before reaching further conclusions.
Meanwhile, police are verifying Cao’s information and attempting to locate his relatives. The 20-year-old Chinese national had initially been unidentified following the discovery of his body. Thanachot remains in custody facing an intentional murder charge. The investigation into Saturday morning’s fatal stabbing remains underway.
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