Phuket - American murdered by a Brit, allegedly.

RAWAI: -- An American man was found stabbed to death in his hotel room near Ya Nui Beach and a search has been launched for the prime suspect, a British Muay Thai boxing student named so far only as “Mr Lee”.

Chalong police received a report 6am this morning that an American “tourist” had been murdered in his room at an unspecified resort on Ya Nui Soi 2.

At the scene, police found blood stains leading from the front door into the room where the body of Dashawn Longfellow, 23, was found lying on the floor with two stab wounds in the left side of his chest. He was wearing a blue T-shirt and shorts.

Police said a couple of hours earlier this morning, Mr Longfellow was involved in an altercation with Mr Lee, who had been studying Muay Thai at a different training camp.

According to police, Mr Longfellow had driven his motorbike to the Freedom Bar in Rawai to pick up his girlfriend.

While he was waiting for her, he went to the restroom where he encountered Mr Lee, who blocked his entrance to the toilet. This led to a fight between the two boxers that was broken up by bar patrons and staff.

Police said after the fight, Mr Longfellow took his girlfriend to her home and went back to a shop near the bar before returning to his room. From there, Mr Lee followed the victim back to his resort in Ya Nui where another fight broke out between the two.

It is then, police allege, that Mr Lee stabbed Mr Longfellow in front of his room.

Mr Lee then fled the scene on a motorbike. Police did not give any further details regarding the motorbike.

Mr Longfellow’s body has been taken to Vachira Phuket Hospital for an autopsy.

young man.

POLICE HAVE IDENTIFIED PRIME SUSPECT
Chalong police have confirmed the identity of the prime suspect in the brutal stabbing death of American Muay Thai trainee Dashawn Longfellow in the early hours this morning.

Case Officer Anukul Nookate confirmed to the Gazette that British Muay Thai fighter Lee Aldhouse, 28, is being sought for arrest in the murder of Mr Longfellow at his room at the Ya Nui 2 resort near Ya Nui Beach.

Mr Longfellow's girlfriend, “Oi”, told the Gazette that he had come on his motorbike to pick her up from work at the Freedom Bar in Rawai at around 1am today.

When he arrived, he had a couple of beers while he waited for her to finish up work, which is usually around 2am, she said.

At some point, Mr Longfellow went to the restroom where he found the entrance to the toilet blocked by Mr Aldhouse and a fight ensued, Ms Oi said.

According to witnesses, Mr Longfellow got the best of his opponent in the brawl before it was broken up by bar patrons and staff.

Ms Oi said that after the fight, the American took her back to his room and left again shortly after to go to a 7-Eleven.

Mr Aldhouse – seeing Mr Longfellow enter and leave the Rawai 7-Eleven – went into the convenience store and obtained two knives and followed his victim home. Police neither confirmed nor denied eyewitness reports that the knives were stolen from the convenience store.

As Mr Longfellow returned home and opened the door to his room, Ms Oi saw the Brit approach her boyfriend from behind.

She said, “At first it didn't look like he [Aldhouse] had anything. We didn't know he had a knife because his hands were in his pockets”. She said a fistfight began between the American and the Brit and the latter pulled out a knife and stabbed Mr Longfellow twice in the chest.

Ms Oi said that her boyfriend rushed inside and shut the door to protect her from the murderous Mr Aldhouse. Ms Oi called the police and an ambulance, but it was too late to save Mr Longfellow.

Police are currently searching for Mr Aldhouse, a Muay Thai fighter who has lived in Thailand for several years and is based in Rawai.

Mr Aldhouse was scheduled to fight former world champion and long term Phuket resident Jomhod Kiatadisak at the grand opening of the Bangla Boxing Stadium last year but pulled out of the fight at the last minute due to injury.

Mr Longfellow, a US Marine, had been in Phuket following a combat injury sustained in Afghanistan, friends said.

Ms Oi said her boyfriend, whom she had been together with for three months, was a friendly, nice and funny guy with many friends.

gotta ask urself why eh? this is a dangerous world.

Fugitive murder suspect Lee Aldhouse has been detained by airport authorities while trying to enter the UK, the Gazette has learned.

Lt Col Anukul Nuket, investigating officer in the case, confirmed that Chalong Police received the news from British officials yesterday.

Aldhouse is said to have departed Thailand from a small border crossing in Khlong Yai, Trat province, on August 17. Thai Immigration at that tiny checkpoint along the border with Cambodia may not have had access to online databases.

Chalong Police are now compiling evidence to try and have Mr Aldhouse extradited to Thailand to be charged for the stabbing murder of 23-year-old American Dashawn Longfellow in Rawai on August 14.

Mr Aldhouse, 28, was the target of an international manhunt for almost two weeks, after he allegedly followed the American home and stabbed him after the two engaged in a bar fight in Rawai.

Chalong Police will pass all evidence in the case to the Phuket provincial public prosecutor, who is expected to file an extradition request with the British Embassy in Bangkok as soon as possible.

The embassy will then liaise with Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs, he added.

Forensics Police have confirmed that the knife found at the scene was the murder weapon and a report from Vachira Hospital Phuket has confirmed that Mr Longfellow died from the knife wound, Lt Col Anukul said.

More damning evidence is available in the form of CCTV footage of a man closely resembling Mr Aldhouse entering a nearby 7-Eleven convenience store just before the time of the murder and ordering terrified staff to give him knives.

All evidence required for the initial extradition application is expected to be compiled today, Lt Col Anukul said.

Chalong Police hope to have the suspect back in Phuket within a week to be formally indicted, he added.



Well, if they have got the right guy, lets hope justice is served.