From luxury to infamy: The murky life and death of killer cop 'Joe Ferrari'

The curtain came down on the colourful life of Thitisan “Joe Ferrari” Utthanaphon on Friday night when the disgraced ex-policeman was found dead inside Bangkok’s Klong Prem prison.

The Corrections Department denied any foul play, describing the death as a suicide, but Thitisan’s family is not convinced. His mother has refused to cremate the body until “justice is done”.

Thitisan was once a rising star in the police force, becoming a colonel and superintendent at the young age of 41. With career success came riches, including a collection of supercars, until his impressive assets were seized on suspicion they had been earned through corruption.

What happened?

The man dubbed “Joe Ferrari” for his collection of luxury cars was jailed in 2021 for torturing a suspect to death. After spending three years in jail, he returned to the headlines last week amid reports of trouble behind bars.

According to his family, Thitisan was singled out for abuse after asking a fellow inmate not to smoke near his cell over health concerns since late last year.

The inmate, identified only as “S” by several sources, reportedly incited hatred against Thitisan. This allegedly spurred prison guards to abuse the ex-cop.

His family alleges that on January 8 this year, Thitisan was attacked and punched twice by a senior guard in charge of Zone 7 of the prison. He was also soon later transferred to an isolation cell for "disciplinary offences."

On January 13, Thitisan instructed his lawyer to file a police complaint, claiming he had been threatened with violence. His allegations of physical abuse were reportedly backed by medical evidence.

However, the Corrections Department allegedly ignored several police requests to interview Thitisan as part of their investigation.

His family said Thitisan’s health had deteriorated in recent months. Late last month, his mother submitted an urgent plea for help. But her son was found dead inside the confinement cell on Friday night, according to prison officials.

The Central Institute of Forensic Science said the initial autopsy indicated that Thitisan had hanged himself with a towel. His family quickly requested another autopsy.

The guard who allegedly assaulted Thitisan has been transferred pending an investigation into his behaviour.

What goes around comes around?

Some netizens suggested the long arm of karmic law had finally caught up with Thitisan. The ex-cop was sentenced to life imprisonment for suffocating a drug suspect to death while serving as superintendent of a police station in Nakhon Sawan.

Thitisan claimed he smothered the drug suspect with a plastic bag to extract useful information, though many saw it as a botched attempt to extort money.

Others argued that Thitisan was paying for his crime in jail, and that his death should be thoroughly investigated since human rights extend to all, including prisoners.

Once a rising star

Raised in Bangkok, Thitisan studied at the Armed Forces Academies Preparatory School before becoming a cadet. He graduated from the Royal Police Cadet Academy in 2003 and rose through the ranks after joining the Narcotics Suppression Division.

He led operations to seize assets including supercars from criminals, earning generous financial rewards from the police force.

He also dated a string of beautiful women from the entertainment industry. At the time of his arrest in 2021, he was in a relationship with a TV host, whose father is the chief of Provincial Police Region 6.

Despite his powerful connections, his downfall was swift.

Pending his trial, authorities began investigating his unusual wealth. Despite earning a modest monthly salary of 43,330 baht back in 2021, Thitisan boasted the ownership of a luxury Bangkok mansion and a fleet of supercars – including a 47-million-baht Lamborghini Aventador said to be the first such model in the country.

The National Anti-Corruption Commission eventually ordered the seizure of his assets, valued at over 1.35 billion baht.

In 2022, Thitisan was convicted of brutally killing the drug suspect and sentenced to life in prison.

His death on Friday, while seen as karma for his past actions by some, shattered his family's hope that he might one day be rehabilitated.