Joe Ferrari: Policeman convicted for viral torture video found dead in jail

Thai authorities have announced that former Thai police chief Thitisan Utthanaphon has been found dead in his Bangkok prison cell. He was serving a life sentence for torturing a drug suspect to death three years ago.

Thitisan, nicknamed "Joe Ferrari" for his vast collection of luxury cars, reportedly died by suicide according to preliminary autopsy results. In 2021, a leaked video showed Thitisan and his colleagues suffocating a 24-year-old drug suspect to death by covering his head with plastic bags during interrogation.

The video sparked nationwide outrage in Thailand at the time over police brutality. Following Thitisan's death, the video has once again been widely circulated on social media. The Thai Ministry of Justice has launched an investigation into his death after his family expressed suspicions of suicide. Authorities stated that further tests are needed to confirm he indeed died by suicide.

Justice Minister Tawee Sodsong said on Monday that all evidence related to Thitisan's death should be disclosed and urged prison authorities to cooperate with investigators. Thitisan's family stated that he had previously been attacked by a prison staff member. They claimed that officials did not allow them to view his body, which was found in his cell on Friday. However, on Sunday, authorities stated that "no prison officials or inmates harmed or caused [his] death."

Previous searches of Thitisan's residence revealed that he owned over a dozen luxury sports cars. Authorities believe he owned at least 42, including a rare Lamborghini Aventador Anniversario, of which only 100 were produced worldwide, with a price tag of 47 million baht ($1.45 million; £1.05 million) in Thailand. As a police colonel, Thitisan's monthly salary was approximately $1,000. He was accused of soliciting a bribe from Jirapong Thanapat while suffocating him, which Thitisan denied. Thitisan surrendered in 2021 after a manhunt.

In addition to Thitisan, five other police officers were convicted of murdering Jirapong and sentenced to life imprisonment in 2022. "It's like he's paying back for the sins he committed," Jirapong's father said in an interview with local media on Saturday. The Department of Corrections stated that they had been investigating earlier complaints from Thitisan's family that he had been bullied and attacked by prison officials earlier this year. The department said that Thitisan had consulted a doctor for anxiety and sleep problems. His family visited him on the day of his death, and prison staff did not notice anything "unusual."