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A Singaporean woman has been sentenced to life in prison for organising a professional hit on a former Canadian model.
Diana Goh Li Fun, together with the gunman and her friends who helped her find the hitman, is now serving her time in Nakhon Si Thammarat as Phuket Provincial Prison only holds inmates serving 15 years or less, reported Phuketwan.com.
In 2009, the Singaporean told the police that her business partner, Francis Alex Degioanni, 34, had borrowed a lot of money from her, then pretended to owe her nothing.
He was a former model who turned to business, selling condominiums to tourists. She was listed as one of two contact people for Andaman Consultants Property, which is located at Patong Beach. An earlier report by The New Paper said that she was one of the volunteers helping the family and friends of victims of the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami in Phuket.
At the time of the murder, they had known each other around six or seven years. He reportedly borrowed millions of baht from her, then refused to pay her back as they had no written loan agreement.
She claimed that because of this, she had to contend with monthly interest payments of around 100,000 baht (S$4,300 at the time).
Phuketwan reported that she borrowed 1.5 million baht (S$61,500) to hire a hitman to murder Degionanni.
The hit happened on Feb 19, 2009, the victim's 34th birthday. He was going to meet his friends, who had prepared a surprise birthday party for him.
During the twilight hours of that fateful day, Degioanni parked his black pickup by their home office. His wife, Fern Pencharoenwatana, was opening the door when two men went by the driver's window.
They shot him eight times while he was sitting inside his own car before fleeing on a motorcycle. His young child was reportedly inside the car during the shooting.
Police found four men booked into Simon Cabaret in Patong, not far from the scene of the crime, after sifting through resort and hotel records in Phuket.
Six people, together with Goh were arrested. The two gunmen were identified as Somchai Mingjaiyen and Suwan Simet.
Goh's friend, Sumon Sumen, was also arrested for helping to plan the murder and putting the money for the gunmen in a bank account. His friend, Eakapon Lakrod, helped in the planning by observing the victim's behaviour, as well as deciding on the place of execution.
Another of Goh's friends, Netnapa Witayatamsopon was also accused of planning the murder and of finding the gunmen.
Phuketwan reported that Goh and four accomplices were sentenced on Dec 29. A sixth case against an alleged accomplice is still pending.
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