Saner Wonggoun

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Saner Wonggoun
Born January 22, 1947 (1947-01-22) (age 61)
Image:Wonggoun age 30.jpg
Air Force photo
Nickname Buck, Shorty[1]
Place of birth Nakhon Nayok, Thailand
Allegiance Flag of the United States United States
Service/branch United States Air Force
Years of service 1976—present
(deserted in 1994)
Rank Technical Sergeant

Technical Sergeant[2] Saner Wonggoun (born January 22, 1947) is a Thai American who was the United States Air Force's top fugitive from 1994 to 2006.

Born in Nakhon Nayok, Thailand, Saner Wonggoun moved to the United States at the age of 21 and enlisted in the Air Force in 1976.[3] He gained United States citizenship in 1978,[4] now having dual citizenship with his home nation of Thailand.

Contents

[edit] Desertion and capture

Assigned to and living on Travis Air Force Base as an air cargo supervisor in January 1994, Wonggoun fled the country on January 14th when wanted for questioning by the authorities of Marin County, California.[5][3] The sergeant was the primary suspect in the murder of his wife of 13 years, 42-year old Sopha Wonggoun (née Yodpet).[3]

His wife's body was found a week earlier on January 7, 1994[3] wrapped in a sleeping bag along a deserted road off State Route 1.[6] At the time of the murder, the couple had two children already and Sopha was eight-months pregnant.[7] An autopsy later determined Sopha died of "blunt force trauma to the head ... consistent with the shape of a hammer."[8]

In the interim three to four days it took to identify the victim and to acquire a search warrant for the Wonggouns' residence, Saner had received emergency leave and had purchased tickets to Thailand—leaving his vehicle in the short-term parking at San Francisco International Airport.[8]

Heading the investigation, the Air Force Office of Special Investigations (AFOSI) named Sergeant Wonggoun their number one fugitive;[9] and, in October 2006, offered age-progressed images and a US$25,000 reward to the public for information leading to the capture of their fugitive. On November 3, following a tip-off that Wonggoun was selling charcoal at the Khoke Matoom Market, the Royal Thai Police arrested the erstwhile sergeant in Phitsanuloke province.

After his arrest, Wonggoun made several statements that were later published in the Phuket Gazette. He allegedly confessed to the murder of his wife, admitting to supposedly bludgeoning her with a hammer after learning she was eight months pregnant—despite living chaste with Saner for almost a year. Saner further claimed that his wife had an addiction to gambling and had wasted a lot of money in this fashion. After fleeing the United States in 1994, Saner never withdrew any of his US$81,700 for fear of being traced, nor was he aware that his son had made frequent trips to Thailand in search of his father. Summarizing his time as a fugitive, Wonggoun claimed to have attempted suicide several times: "I have been living in misery all along. I have been living on given time. No happiness or anything at all."[7]

[edit] Extradition and trial

Captain Christine Millette with the AFOSI said Wonggoun will be court-martialed on charges of premeditated murder;[3] the Uniform Code of Military Justice dictates a potential sentence of death or life imprisonment should he be convicted for the murder of his wife.[10]

After his arrest, Wonggoun insisted he be considered as a Thai citizen and subject to Thai court. However, in December 2007 Thailand's Appeals Court found that as the murder took place in the United States, and Wonggoun is legally a US citizen, he should fall subject to the US judicial system.[11]

On February 15th, 2008, Wonggoun was transferred to the custody of the AFOSI Detachment 303 at Travis AFB; as OSI investigators believe that Sopha was murdered on base, Marin County relinquished legal jurisdiction to the Air Force.[5][12]

[edit] Article 32 hearing

On March 19, 2008, Air Force prosecutors convened an Article 32 hearing to determine if a crime occurred and if there is probable cause to go to court-martial based on the evidence provided. During the two-day hearing, the prosecution and defense counsels (Majors Tara Villena and Mark Etheridge, respectively) called upon and questioned the original Marin County investigator, Detective Steven Nash, and Wonggoun's 21-year-old daughter, Sophia Wonggoun Burtram.[8]

Burtram emotionally testified to the prosecutor that she may have inadvertently informed her father about her mother's boyfriend shortly before her death. When questioned by the defense council, she bolstered his argument for voluntary manslaughter, testifying that she had never seen her father act violently or aggressively toward her mother.[8]

The evidence, testimonies, and counselors' arguments are now under review by the proceeding's investigating officer, Colonel Steven Ehlenbeck.[8]

[edit] References

  1. ^ AFOSI: Fugitive Wonggoun's Stats. Air Force Fugitives. Air Force Office of Special Investigations. Archived from the original on 2007-06-29. Retrieved on 2007-01-28.
  2. ^ Most-wanted fugitive arrested. Air Force Times. Military Times Media Group (2006-11-06). Retrieved on 2006-11-21.
  3. ^ a b c d e Fimrite, Peter. "Air Force's most-wanted fugitive arrested in wife's 1994 slaying", San Francisco Chronicle, San Francisco, California, United States: Hearst Communications Inc., 2006-11-04, p. B-3. Retrieved on 2008-03-22. 
  4. ^ "U.S. fugitive arrested in Thailand over murder", Philippine News, 2006-11-07. Retrieved on 2008-03-22. (English) 
  5. ^ a b Holmes, Erik. "Accused Air Force killer back in U.S. custody", Air Force Times, McLean, Virginia, United States: Gannett Company, 2008-02-29. Retrieved on 2008-03-22. 
  6. ^ United States Air Force top fugitive in custody. Air Force Link. United States Air Force (2006-11-03). Retrieved on 2006-11-10.
  7. ^ a b "B1m fugitive arrested in Phitsanuloke", The Phuket Gazette, Phuket, Thailand: The Phuket Gazette Co Ltd., 2006-11-04. Retrieved on 2008-03-22. (English) 
  8. ^ a b c d e Hamlin, Brian. "Hearing at Travis in 1994 slaying", The Reporter, Vacaville, California, United States: MediaNews Group, 2008-03-20. Retrieved on 2008-03-22. 
  9. ^ "U.S. Air Force top fugitive in custody in Thailand", Reuters, 2006-11-03. Retrieved on 2008-03-22. 
  10. ^ SUBCHAPTER I--GENERAL PROVISIONS (Legalese). U.S. Code Online via GPO Access. Retrieved on 2006-12-30.
  11. ^ "Court rules to extradite Thai-born naturalised American in murder case", Bangkok, Thailand: MCOT Public Company Limited., 2007-12-19. Retrieved on 2008-03-22. (English) 
  12. ^ Hamlin, Brian. "Hearing set for ex-Travis sergeant", The Reporter, Vacaville, California, United States: MediaNews Group, 2008-03-11. Retrieved on 2008-03-22.