Just hours after Australian detectives made a public appeal for information about a man's body found bound, gagged and dumped by the side of a major Sydney road they received the most unlikely of telephone calls from the US.
Californian man Alex Dion called police on June 20, 2018 to say he had seen their earlier appeal about the discovery of Wachira "Mario" Phetmang's body near Sydney Olympic Park a fortnight earlier.
The body of the 33-year-old Starbucks worker, who lived in a highrise apartment in Sydney with his partner and who had no criminal history, had been found by a passing truck driver.
With more than 20 wounds to his head and multiple skull fractures the Thai national's body was bound with white rope and then wrapped in a plastic mattress protector before being dumped by the Homebush Bay Drive for up to a fortnight before it was found.
READ MORE:
* Teacher's Pet: Husband arrested in Australian cold case after podcast
* 'Unbelievable error' discovered in Perth brothel madam murder case
* Mother refuses to return to US to face murder charges
Dion told police he had been with Phetmang the night of May 25, 2018 - the last time detectives said he was seen alive. He claimed the pair had gone to a service station in Sydney's south to buy methamphetamine from another man.
NSW POLICE
Thai national Wachira Phetmang was found dead near Sydney Olympic Park.
The American allegedly told police he left when the other man arrived and was now worried that the other man may have "done something bad" and may be Phetmang's killer.
He also allegedly claimed to have screenshots of text messages from this other man talking about drug deals and Phetmang's murder that Dion wanted to share with police.
But as detectives went to corroborate Dion's story they allegedly uncovered a very different version of events.
According to documents filed in a US court on April 5 and first uncovered by terrorism researcher Seamus Hughes at George Washington University, surveillance footage showed Dion and Phetmang visiting a service station with no one else. They then left in the same car. Phetmang was not seen alive again.
SUPPLIED
Mario Phetmang was last seen in this CCTV footage at a service station.
After the initial phone call, Dion allegedly kept in contact with NSW Police via subsequent calls and multiple emails over the following weeks.
He allegedly went on to admit in their correspondence that he was in possession of a number of personal items belonging to Phetmang including two mobile phones, credit cards and a thumb drive.
Police will allege their investigations have revealed Phetmang's card was used several times at grocery stores and cafes in the US between Dion arriving back in California on May 27 and prior to the police going public with the appeal about Phetmang's death on June 20.
Surveillance footage allegedly shows Dion making those purchases. The screenshots of text messages proving the other man's involvement have never been given to police, the US court documents state.
NSW Police issued an arrest warrant for Dion in September 2018 and late last year their US counterparts informed them that they had arrested him over an unrelated domestic violence matter.
LUCY CORMACK/FAIRFAX MEDIA
Police search along an embankment where the body was discovered.
A search by the FBI of his San Diego home allegedly also uncovered a boot which police say matched one found tied up with Phetmang's body.
US authorities have now ordered Dion's extradition to NSW for the alleged murder of Phetmang.
NSW Police on Wednesday said detectives had flown to the US to co-ordinate Dion's extradition.
It is expected he will be extradited to NSW by the end of the week where he will be charged over Phetmang's death.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/world/australia/111948767/after-sydney-mans-body-was-found-gagged-and-dumped-police-got-an-unlikely-call-from-us
2019-04-10 07:26:00Z
52780265248065
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "After Sydney man's body was found gagged and dumped, police got an unlikely call from US - Stuff.co.nz"
Post a Comment