Coconuts Yangon spoke to several residents of the building where Harris Binotti, 25, lived before he was wanted in connection to the death of fellow teacher Peter Gary Ferguson, 47.
Here’s a timeline of the ensuing events based on their testimony and previous reporting on the case.
Saturday, 12am: Several people entered the suspect’s home on 39th Street, including the suspect, the victim and at least one woman.
[An anonymous source who is familiar with the suspect and his girlfriend said they were coming from a nearby bar. The source said the suspect and his girlfriend, who has been identified as Elsie Devolder, had been quarreling.]
3am: One 60-year-old woman living in the building said she heard a scuffle, which lasted around 15 minutes. She said she heard a woman screaming.
A man living in the apartment beside Binotti’s said he looked through the peephole of his door and momentarily saw a man lying on the ground. Binotti was trying to remove the incapacitated man from the apartment. One of the men was heard ‘apologizing’.
The Guardian has reported that the man being removed from the apartment was heard saying “I just need police”.
4:30am: The neighbors said the commotion stopped.
Saturday, 5pm: Binotti reportedly fled to Thailand. The apartment remained locked all day.
Sunday, 8am: The 60-year-old neighbor said the same woman who was heard screaming during the scuffle in the early hours of Saturday morning returned to the apartment with the victim’s wife, Supatchaya Sichompor, and one other foreigner. The door was locked, so the group broke the locks with the help of one local community member and discovered the body of Peter Gary Ferguson. The victim’s wife contacted the police.
10am: Police came to the apartment, and the body of the victim was taken away by ambulance.
The victim’s wife and the others left the apartment, and the police locked it.
Monday afternoon: Devolder returned to the apartment with a foreign man. Plainclothes police from the Special Branch and another foreign woman came to the apartment a few minutes later. The woman had a large, pink suitcase that was apparently empty.The group spent several hours in the apartment.
3pm: Devolder, the two other foreigners and the police exited the apartment with the suitcase, which was now full.
BBC’s Jonah Fisher asked Devolder: “Did you help your boyfriend escape? Why did it take you so long to report the body?” She rushed to a waiting car with her face concealed under a shawl. The man accompanying her rushed at Fisher but was blocked by another journalist. He then returned to the car and drove off.
Special Branch officers at the scene said they are in touch with INTERPOL and are trying to apprehend Binotti.
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