Phuket Manhunt for Expat Killer:
Phuket Manhunt for Expat Killer: Englishman Knifes American to Death After Fight in Bar
By Chutima Sidasathian and Sert Tongdee
oday's Updating Report
AN ENGLISHMAN and an American fell out and fought a drunken brawl at a bar on Phuket early today - and the Englishman later stabbed the American to death.
A manhunt is now being conducted on the tropical holiday island for the killer, who is on the run and possibly dangerous.
Police named the dead American man today as Dashawn Longfellow, 23. Officers say they know the English suspect only as ''Mr Lee.''
n the first accounts of what took place, officers say the two men, both muay Thai kickboxing exponents, met for the first time when they both went to the toilet at the Freedom Bar, a well-known haunt for expats in Rawai, the southern beach resort.
In the toilet, police say other patrons in the bar told them, the American bragged about his strength, without knowing that the Englishman was also a muay Thai exponent.
The two engaged in a drunken fight and the American won. Police said that about 4.30am, the American left the bar and rode his motorcycle to the Ya Nui Resort, in a quiet part of the island.
About 5am, police believe, the Englishman caught up with the American at the resort and stabbed the American twice.
Police across the whole of Phuket are hunting for the Englishman. Phuket International Airport and the Tachatchai checkpoint before the only road exit off Phuket were said to be under tight security. Checks are also likely to be made of vessels leaving Phuket by sea.
Another expat American, former US Navy officer Ronald Fanelli, faces a murder charge over the killing of a Phuket bar hostess earlier this year. He has admitted to stabbing her twice and stuffing her naked body into a travel bag that he dumped by an isolated roadway.
Bars on Phuket are supposed to close at 2am but there is a tacit understanding in some parts of the island that holidaymakers and expat residents can drink on until much later.