THAILAND: MURDERER IS SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR KILLING A GERMAN BACKPACKER

July 12, 2019:

A Thai man who raped and murdered a German backpacker was sentenced to death on 10 July 2019.
Ronnakorn Romruen, 24, attacked Miriam Beelte, 26, as she visited a historic stone monument on the island of Koh Si Chang, eastern Thailand on 7 April.
He then raped her before battering her head with a rock to kill her and stop her reporting the attack.
Ronnakorn then concealed her body below leaves on a secluded hillside.
Locals found her body that same day.
Later that evening police arrested the local beach cleaner and he subsequently admitted to raping and killing the woman from Hildesheim, Germany.
Ronnakorn has been in custody since the murder took place three months ago.
He pleaded guilty to all charges and was sentenced to death because the 'crime was so severe a reduced sentence was not possible'.
The judgment released from Chonburi Provincial Court read: 'Ronnakorn Romruen was guilty of raping (14 years in jail), murdering to conceal the crime (death penalty), drug taking and driving (eight months in jail), concealing the death of a person (one year in jail).