PHUKET: 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.
For the previous report, click
here.Mr Longfellow's girlfriend, “Ooy”, 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.
