PATTAYA, Thailand – A Thai court has sentenced an Australian man to death for the kidnapping and murder of a Hells Angels member alleged to have been a major drug trafficker.
Antonio Bagnato, 28, was found guilty of murder, deprivation of liberty and disposing of a body.
In December 2015, former Hells Angels member Wayne Schneider was abducted from outside his home by five men and later found buried with a broken neck and facial injuries consistent with a severe beating.
The judge said the killing was premeditated, with GPS from the getaway car, DNA from the crime scene and witness testimonies all connecting Bagnato to the crimes.
“The first defendant (Bagnato) is found guilty of all charges and according to the criminal code, the penalty is execution for the murder and deprivation of liberty, plus a year in prison for hiding the body,” Judge Sirichai Polkarn at the Pattaya Provincial Court said.
The courtroom was packed with representatives of all parties.
“We’ve got hearts and they’re hurting right now,” a relative of Bagnato said, calling the verdict “ridiculous”.
The judge said DNA evidence also placed 22-year-old American man Tyler Gerard at the scene of the abduction.
Gerard received a three-year sentence for deprivation of liberty that was reduced to two years for his co-operation with the investigation.
