A court this morning doubled down on the death sentence for a 40-year-old Spanish man convicted of murdering a fellow Spaniard and dismembering him in Thailand.
Judges upheld two prior rulings sentencing Artur Segarra to die for the 2016 murder of David Bernat in a grisly case brought to attention when the victim’s dismembered remains were found floating in different parts of the Chao Phraya River.
Segarra was in court today to hear his appeal denied for the second time since he was convicted in 2017. He’s been behind bars for over three years, most recently at the Bang Kwang Central Prison.
Segarra reportedly turned red after the judges announced their ruling. Segarra’s lawyer, meanwhile, said that his client had made peace with death since he was sentenced in 2017.
He added that fighting the case would be difficult because of the evidence against Segarra.
Six body parts were retrieved from the Chao Phraya River in January 2016.
One month later, police said they found his DNA and blood in Segarra’s apartment at the PG Rama 9 Condominium.
That’s where they concluded that Segarra tortured Bernat into wiring him upward of THB37 million before killing him and chopping up the 40-year-old man’s body.
They filed charges of murder and concealing a body against him.
Segarra has exhausted his appeals and can now only be pardoned by the king.
Once the legal process is over, he can also petition to have his sentence carried out in Spain, where there is no death penalty.
