Pictured: Ukrainian model ‘hacked to pieces by British-based advertising chief boyfriend’
A Ukrainian model who was hacked to pieces with a saw in a luxury apartment in Thailand, modeled herself on Marilyn Monroe and dreamed of becoming a movie star.
Alona Savchenko, 24, had checked into the Key Sathorn-Charoenraj hotel apartment in Bangkok on April 29 with her partner Jan Jerzy Lagoda-Filippow, 25, on April 29.
Polish-born Lagoda-Filippow had registered an advertising business in Covent Garden in London’s West End.
Ms Savchenko, meanwhile, had previously done photo shoots for him and several other advertising agencies and was reportedly paid by brands to recommend their products on social media.
Photos of the young model showed off her bleach blonde hair and self-proclaimed “pin-up” figure.
Alona Savchenko, 24, was murdered in a luxury Thai hotel apartment
The Ukrainian styled herself after Marilyn Monroe and dreamed of becoming a movie star
Jan Jerzy Lagoda-Filippow, 25, is suspected of murdering his Ukrainian girlfriend. The Pole had registered an advertising company in Covent Garden in London’s West End
A bloodstained saw was found next to Alona Savchenko’s body by hotel staff and police
Hotel staff said the couple looked happy as they checked in together and CCTV footage from the hallway shows the couple smiling as they walk to their room.
But guards grew suspicious on the morning of May 15 when the Polish tourist left the building, alone and in a hurry, dragging his luggage and very nervous.
Lagoda-Filippow hailed a taxi, whose driver Surachai Sabaibang later called the hotel to inform them of the Pole’s erratic behavior after his passenger allegedly used the Google Translate app to request help cutting up a body.
CCTV footage of Lagoda-Filippow’s exit from the hotel shows him trembling as he exits the elevator, lugging his suitcase behind him.
After the driver’s call, hotel staff went to check the couple’s room on the 32nd floor, where they found Ms. Savchenko’s remains on the bed.
The young woman’s face was covered in blood and her left hand was severed at the wrist.
Her head was also partially severed with a deep cut from her neck down to her left shoulder, and paramedics discovered she also suffered a stab wound to her chest.
Next to her body was a two-foot long saw covered in blood. Investigators believe Ms. Savchenko was dead about a day before she was discovered, suggesting she was killed over the weekend prior to the Lagoda-Filippow escape attempt.
The young woman, who studied in Jinan, China, appeared to live a jet-set lifestyle, spending holidays in Valencia, Warsaw, Istanbul, London and Rome in the months before arriving in Bangkok in late April.
Photos taken in the months before her death show the model posing in various locations, with lyrics by the Beatles and stories of her dreams of becoming a star.
Police Lieutenant Colonel Pongpun Phonharn, from Wat Phraya Krai district station, said: “The victim arrived at the apartment with her boyfriend on April 29, but he left around noon on May 15 without her.
“We heard he hired a taxi to take him to Sa Kaeo province. He was probably trying to cross the border into Cambodia.’
Alona Savchenko, 24, had checked into the Key Sathorn-Charoenraj hotel apartment in Bangkok with her partner Jan Jerzy Lagoda-Filippow, 25, on April 29.
Photos of the young model showed off her bleach blonde hair and self-proclaimed ‘pin-up’ figure
Officers contacted taxi driver Surachai for questioning after the discovery.
The driver said, “I picked up the suspicious passenger, who told me through Google Translate that he wanted to play at a casino. When he couldn’t find a suitable place to play, he asked me through the app to help chop up his girlfriend’s body for 1,500 baht ($44).’
Alarmed by the alarming request, Mr. Surachai reportedly dropped Lagoda-Filippow off at a hotel in Bangkok’s Sathorn district before calling the hotel where he was staying.
Border officials were alerted shortly after hotel staff discovered Ms Savchenko’s body and on Monday evening Lagoda-Filippow was caught at the Aranyaprathet border checkpoint, 215 kilometers away in Sa Kaeo province.
The police had missed the suspect, but a police dog ran away from her truck in the direction of a nondescript travel agency close to the border.
After detecting an unusual smell, Judy the Labrador started wagging her tail and sniffing Lagoda-Filippow, who was sitting outside the desk with his ticket to Cambodia.
The young woman, who studied in Jinan, China, turned out to have a jet-set lifestyle
Thai paramedics carry Mrs Savchenko’s body out of the hotel
Lagoda-Filippow hurriedly left the hotel, dragging only his luggage and looking nervous, according to CCTV footage and security guards
Lagoda-Filippow is seen after being arrested by Thai police
Lagoda-Filippow was rattled by a Labrador puppy named Judy, who smelled a strange odor on him and led officers to the travel agency where he was waiting to cross the Thai border into Cambodia
The alleged killer had filled out visa forms and was only minutes away from boarding a minivan when armed officers burst into the remote building and handcuffed him to the ground.
He was then detained at Wat Phraya Krai police station for questioning while police informed the Polish embassy of his arrest. Investigations are underway.
Police Lieutenant Colonel Pongpun Phonharn added: “The suspect was very calm when he was arrested. It was about 4 am (Tuesday) when he was caught.
“He drank coffee in his cell as usual and started exercising, as if it were his normal morning routine. He said nothing.
“We have contacted the Polish embassy.”