Three sentenced to death for the brutal 2023 murder of German businessman Hans Peter Ralter Mack in Pattaya. His body was found dismembered in a freezer, linked to theft and a shocking plot involving two Germans and a Pakistani co-accused.
On Friday, the Pattaya Provincial Court handed down three death sentences to two Germans accused and one Pakistani national. The court found the group guilty in the heinous murder in July 2023 of German property businessman Hans Peter Walter Mack. Significantly, the two German accused, Ms. Petra Crystal Grungreif and Olaf Thorsten Brinkmann, had their sentences reduced to life imprisonment. However, a Pakistani co-accused, Mr. Shahrooq Kareem Uddin, did not have his sentence commuted. At length, the two Germans admitted their culpability in the gruesome murder of the German businessman. The Pakistani accused has consistently protested his innocence of murder. The body of Mr. Ralter Mack was found on July 10, dismembered in a freezer by police at a house in Nong Prue, Pattaya.
Pattaya Provincial Court on Friday handed down three death sentences in the murder case of German businessman Mr. Hans Peter Ralter Mack. The 62-year-old German went missing in July 2023.
Previously, he had told his wife that he was going to a business meeting. Investigators at Nong Prue Police Station later retrieved CCTV images showing his Mercedes car following a black SUV.
Afterwards, police called in 55-year-old Ms. Petra Crystal Grungreif, also known as Petha, for questioning. The ‘property broker’ quickly became a suspect.
Body of Hans Peter Ralter Mack found dismembered in a freezer, with murderers linked to a theft
The body of Hans Peter Ralter Mack was subsequently found on Monday night, July 10, 2023. In short, it was dismembered and found in the freezer of a housing estate property in Chok Chai Gardens, Nong Prue.
Police were shocked to find the body cut into 13 separate pieces. In its judgment on Friday, the court found that the murderers had acted in concert. For instance, it ruled that the intention was to dispose of the body at sea.
In effect, the murder of Mr. Mack was linked to the theft of ฿3.35 million from his account. The three people arrested and charged were convicted by the Pattaya Provincial Court on Friday. They are 55-year-old Ms. Petra, 53-year-old Mr. Olaf Thorsten Brinkmann, and 28-year-old Mr. Shahrooq Kareem Uddin.
Two Germans admit their role in the murder while Pakistani co-accused protests innocence
Before the court, the first two accused admitted to the crime and furthermore, their role in the murder plot. However, Mr. Uddin, a Pakistani national, fought his case. He insisted he was not guilty of murdering the German national.
Nonetheless, the Pakistani man was the only one finally sentenced to death on Friday. The two middle-aged German co-conspirators had their death sentences commuted to life imprisonment.
In short, this was because of their confessions, which the court deemed useful. The case was finalized last year by former Deputy National Police Chief Surachate Hakparn.
In particular, the German man was hunted down after he fled Pattaya. He was arrested in a Hell Angels club in Bangkok.
Significantly, the German reportedly intended to establish himself as a gang leader in Pattaya. It is understood the German man and his accomplices planned to kidnap and torture the German man.
Ralter Mack’s family defended his past
Mr. Ralter Mack was well known in Pattaya as a colourful businessman engaged in property. He had previously been involved in a case linked with underage prostitution.
However, his family last year defended the murder victim, saying that his arrest in 2018 was a misunderstanding. That case was also handled by Nong Prue Police Station.
Germans linked with Ralter Mack murder behind bars in Pattaya with strong evidence in the case
Grim end for German property mogul in Pattaya, body cut up and sealed in a freezer by his callous killers
In its ruling on Friday, the Pattaya Provincial Court endorsed the decision by Nong Prue to prosecute the case before it.
It said that from careful examinations of witness statements, forensic evidence, documentary, and material evidence, it was satisfied that all three had murdered the German property mogul.
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Further reading:
Germans linked with Ralter Mack murder behind bars in Pattaya with strong evidence in the case
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