Wendy Albano was an American businesswoman[1] murdered in 2012 in a hotel room in Bangkok.[2] Authorities in the U.S. contacted the United States Department of State, leading to the arrest of a suspect hiding in India in 2014.[2] The chief suspect was an Indian business associate who fled to India after her death.[3] One of the key pieces of evidence that made him a suspect was their known business relationship and video surveillance from the hotel.[2] U.S. Senator Bill Nelson asked then Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to help with the case.[4][5]
Wendy Albano | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | |
| Died | (aged 52) Bangkok, Thailand |
| Occupation | Interior designer |
| Children | 2 |
Background
editAlbano was an interior designer who had worked on the homes of celebrities including Derek Jeter and Tino Martinez.[6] Her business was called Wendy Albano Interiors. She had lived in the US States of California and Florida.[4] Wendy earned a Bachelor of Science in Advertising from the College of Journalism at the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida. She was a member of Chi Omega Sorority and was an extremely popular student at Florida. She loved her daughters, design, cats, and life with vigor and enthusiasm.
Death
editAlbano was found stabbed and strangled to death[7] in February 2012 at a hotel in Bangkok.[8] In September 2014, Indian Police arrested the prime suspect Ritesh Narpatraj Sanghvi, a business associate who had befriended her on Facebook in 2010.[8] They had worked on some business deals and were reportedly working together to import hand-made jewelry.[8] The hotel was Fraser Suites Sukhumvit in Bangkok, and one of the leads was CCTV footage that showed the suspect leaving the establishment.[9]
Sanghvi lodged a legal challenge to his extradition from India to Thailand which was heard in Delhi High Court and dismissed on 7 January 2019.[10] On 28 February 2019, Sanghvi was extradited to Thailand.[11]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "US Business Woman Found Murdered in Bangkok Hotel". Chiangrai Times. 16 February 2012. Retrieved 1 November 2019.
- ^ a b c "Police in India arrest suspect in 2012 murder of South Tampa designer". Tampa Bay Times. 30 September 2014.
- ^ Dalvi, Vinay (30 September 2014). "Posing as courier boys, Mumbai cops nab murderer on the run for 2 years". mid-day. Retrieved 1 April 2019.
- ^ a b "U.S. senator seeks Clinton's help in case of Tampa woman murdered in Bangkok hotel" (Press release). Senator Bill Nelson.
- ^ "Clinton's Help Sought in Thailand Murder". Chiangrai Times. Archived from the original on 13 March 2016. Retrieved 10 August 2015.
- ^ Wilkerson, Chris (1 October 2014). "Arrest made in South Tampa designer's murder from 2012". Tampa Bay Business Journal.
- ^ "US Woman Murdered in Thailand". ABC News. 16 February 2012. Retrieved 29 July 2019.
- ^ a b c "Man arrested for killing US woman in Bangkok hotel". DNA India. 30 September 2014.
- ^ "Wendy Albano, American Businesswoman, Murdered In Thailand; Cops Seek Indian Boyfriend". Huffington Post. 16 February 2012.
- ^ "Ritesh Narpatraj Sanghvi vs Union Of India on 7 January, 2019". Indian Kanoon.
- ^ "List of Fugitives Extradited by India to Foreign Countries". Ministry of External Affairs. Archived from the original on 29 December 2019.