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Murder of Wendy Albano

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Wendy Albano
Born
Died (aged 52)
Bangkok, Thailand
OccupationInterior designer
Children2

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]

Background[edit]

Albano 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[edit]

Albano 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[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "US Business Woman Found Murdered in Bangkok Hotel". Chiangrai Times. 16 February 2012. Retrieved 1 November 2019.
  2. ^ a b c "Police in India arrest suspect in 2012 murder of South Tampa designer". Tampa Bay Times. 30 September 2014.
  3. ^ 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.
  4. ^ a b "U.S. senator seeks Clinton's help in case of Tampa woman murdered in Bangkok hotel" (Press release). Senator Bill Nelson.
  5. ^ "Clinton's Help Sought in Thailand Murder". Chiangrai Times. Archived from the original on 13 March 2016. Retrieved 10 August 2015.
  6. ^ Wilkerson, Chris (1 October 2014). "Arrest made in South Tampa designer's murder from 2012". Tampa Bay Business Journal.
  7. ^ "US Woman Murdered in Thailand". ABC News. 16 February 2012. Retrieved 29 July 2019.
  8. ^ a b c "Man arrested for killing US woman in Bangkok hotel". DNA India. 30 September 2014.
  9. ^ "Wendy Albano, American Businesswoman, Murdered In Thailand; Cops Seek Indian Boyfriend". Huffington Post. 16 February 2012.
  10. ^ "Ritesh Narpatraj Sanghvi vs Union Of India on 7 January, 2019". Indian Kanoon.
  11. ^ "List of Fugitives Extradited by India to Foreign Countries". Ministry of External Affairs. Archived from the original on 29 December 2019.