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This is a good story and thank you for sharing it. One factor to consider is that one or both of these men may have been suffering from dementia, undiagnosed as they seem to have been rather socially isolated. Or perhaps one of them had undiagnosed mental illness such as bipolar disease, one of the symptoms of which is recklessness with money. Perhaps the other man didn’t know how, or didn’t have the strength, to handle his friend’s increasingly poor decisions. I wonder about this especially because of the sudden loss of income, which suggests they may have fallen for scammers who prey on vulnerable older people. Likely we will never know, but before judging too harshly, we might want to consider these or other possibilities. All of which suggests that the best investment we can make in old age is not financial; it is social. I think of my miracle 98 year old mother still living independently in Massachusetts, USA. Her sons are loving and supportive but not nearby. She couldn’t manage without the support of neighbors and friends she cultivated over the years. Not to mention her cat and her garden. So everyone make sure you have people around who care about you and keep an active mind. You will need them both when the inevitable decline comes.

Good points to ponder. I toyed with the idea of retiring to bkk several times but it was always the growing uncertainties that dissuaded me. In the end, after I weighing all the factors, I decided that three long trips per year suited me better. That practice served me well until the pandemic and I realize how much I miss that routine. I'm ready to resume that schedule as soon as conditions permit. I remain confident that opportunity will arrive by October. Like most of us on this board, I've come to really like the guys I meet and the laid back lifestyle of Southeast Asia. So I hope the powers that be adopt a reopening that is free as possible of limitations on my choices of where and when I want to go. Other countries in the region are eager to attract tourists and I'm counting on that competition to enable my plans.

I was at Lagoa Fri and Sat and it was as busy as before Covid.....

Basically I agree with you. But I think you have to remember that regulations do change from time to time and there was a major change in the retirement visa extension requirements early last year. From 800,000 baht in the bank for 3 months prior to renewal which could thereafter be spent over the next 9 months, Immigration decided (for reasons I still do not understand) that the 800,000 had to be in the bank for 5 months during which it could not be touched and thereafter 400,000 must remain untouched for 7 months. In other words, at least 400,000 has to be locked up for life, as far as I can see. That is a pretty radical change considering many older people never had the level of pensions most younger people nowadays save or are forced to save towards. Anyone in their mid-80s who contributed to the UK National Insurance scheme for the required 40 years and started taking the pension at the age of 65 has it frozen at that level. My guess is that for those two guys that probably amounted to less than £75 (3,290 baht) per week each. Also, there may come a time, especially when you are in your 80s or older, when you cannot return home because there is simply no home to go to. Remember the case of the 92 year old who was put on a flight to Switzerland not so long ago? He could not meet the new retirement visa requirements and was deported. He had absolutely no relatives and no place to stay in Switzerland. Yet he was Swiss and so that is where he was sent. What he did once he got there, I hate to think. I have no home in Britain. No house, no apartment, no income apart from a basic British pension which would certainly not enable me to rent even a small apartment or get me into a care home. My brother and sister are about my age and may die before me. I don't have an extended family like many others, although i am certain my niece would look after me. At least i have an apartment here and savings in the bank. But as gaybutton writes, it would be useful to know what financial disaster befell these two guys so quickly. When people run out of cash, it is usually the case that they can predict that probably years ahead. So they can plan accordingly. From what we know, it seems these guys were caught almost completely unawares. On a separate matter, thanks to 10tazione for finding my earlier post. Renewed apologies for repeating most of the tale.

Me? It's much less the flying itself and much more missing meeting up with old friends again in various countries in Asia. I'm an admitted travel junkie and so I can't wait to get vaccinated and for travel bubbles finally to open up. For another self-confessed travel geek what he misses most is - airline food! Nik Sennhauser grew up almost on planes between Thailand where his Dad worked for a multi-national company and Austria where he went to school. Now based in Scotland, he spends his Sunday mornings making airline food for himself and his husband. I can't think why anyone would want to recreate airline food. When working for a multinational company, I had the luxury of business class travel most of the time, but the meals remain forgotten. Bumped up to first class on a few occasions, I was introduced to caviar and did enjoy it to the point where I always asked for a second helping - to the annoyance of the flight attendants who were probably limited to how much each passenger could be served. If there is one other item I recall it would be the wines, a few of which were spectacular. Perhaps oddly, the one meal I recall with pure pleasure was on JAL returning on an evening flight from Tokyo in economy class not so long ago. The airline had asked some chefs to prepare some new economy meals. I thought mine the best airline meal I had ever enjoyed in any class in decades of travelling. Pity the wine was cheap plonk, though! Nik's recreation of a United Airlines meal! Urghh! https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-57411754

From Nikkei Asia After a 45-year hiatus, Thailand and Cambodia reopened their cross-border railway service with a ceremony Monday in a move expected to provide trucking-dependent manufacturers with a cheaper, high-volume logistics option. With the rail service connecting the Thai border town of Aranyaprathet with Poipet in Cambodia, train passengers can now travel between the capitals of Bangkok and Phnom Penh. The rail service had been shut down since 1974 due to tensions between the two neighboring countries over the border and other issues. The long suspension was lifted after a 2015 agreement between Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha and his Cambodian counterpart Hun Sen to relink the countries by rail to promote economic activities in the region and improve relations. he reconnection is expected to boost businesses in Thailand -- a hub of automakers, electric machinery builders and other manufacturers -- which are struggling with surging wages. Seeking cheaper workers, these companies are increasingly shifting labor-intensive production processes to Cambodia, including an industry park in Poipet, and bringing semi-finished products back to Thailand for final assembly. The problem has been the high cost of logistics because trucking was the only option. https://asia.nikkei.com/Politics/International-relations/Thai-Cambodia-railway-resumes-after-45-years-connecting-business

Many Argentines feel like everything good in their lives is owed to Peronism. From the times of Evita & Perón, when a day is sunny nd beautiful, it is a Peronist day. Well, this has been a Peronist weekend. Spring like temperatures and the announcements of downgrading restrictions in the city got Porteños in the street. I joined them, and yesterday met with a friend nearby my base. I walked from my Airbnb to Plaza Italia. In my way, I enjoyed once again my neighborhood. This single block is representative of many others. In a few meters you can appreciate examples of buildings built along more than 100 years. And next to these typical landscape, you have a nuclear bomb that ruins everything. I am sure the view from these towers is amazing, but they completely fucked up the skyline and the nearby family houses' privacy. I wonder how much money those developers paid in bribes to get approved a construction permit breaking the standards for the area. In my way to Plaza Italia, I walked through another development from after my departure. They recycled the areas under and around train bridges. The one near my place is an open outlet shopping mall of local and International first brands. People were standing up in long lines waiting to enter the stores, as there is a limit set per squared meter. As most shopping malls, this one is forgettable, but I thought you may be curious about American burgers prices. This is a Wendy's display. 319= U$S 3.28/2.05; 359 = U$S 3.69/2.31. If you compare these junk food prices to what you have to pay for a prime steak (remember? I am paying 420), these are very expensive. However, in Argentina, fast food crap like Wendy's, McD, and BK, are the choice for the middle class. Just another example of Argentinean middle class' "tilinguería" (a localism for "snobbism" carrying all the cultural nuances that its standard universal synonym lacks of), famous all over the subcontinent. I met my friend at the Ecopark. I absolutely loved walking those trails I had walked so many times as a child, when the Zoo was up and running. The buildings are from Buenos Aires' golden age, when Argentina was still dreaming of becoming an International power. They are just beautiful, with many statues, fountains, and just all kind od constructions with high artistic value. The designers of some landscapes show great sophistication, the apparent intention is to show nature taking over the old buildings, as in a post apocalyptic narrative. Additionally, all the vegetation is local species. Most of the buildings that used to contain wild animals in captivity are now empty. Others have been refurnished. I still remember from 3 decades ago how this used to be a series of small cages with exotic tropical birds: Most animals have been sent to reserves, but a few still remain as they are too old, or sick to be translated. I saw an old poor elephant alone and away from the open to public areas. Other animals will probably become permanent habitants of a quite open space, in the middle of Buenos Aires. After te Ecopark, we walked towards Recoleta. This is all the fancier are of Palermo. We walked through the zone we mentioned before, Palermo Chico, where many local Plutocrats and diplomatics live. Right there, we have the embassy of a favorite American country. I ended the day exhausted after walking about 7 km, and went back home with the intention to write this report. But Grindr came in the middle of my task, and instead I ended inviting a local who made a party with my dick. I need to close Grindr or I will never hire again. To celebrate a good fuck, I ordered authentic Argentina empanadas. Another item checked out of my To Eat List. Today Sunday it was family time. First, I had to stop by the pharmacy to get more anti acids and more lube. Then, my mami was waiting for me with mbaipu. Originally the dish is from Paraguay, but we do the version popular in Corrientes. Another check out of my To Eat List. After spending some hours with family I took advantage of being back to Recoleta, and ran up to the artisans fair to buy a water pipe. And now I am here trying to make a decision. Grindr? A contract? Resting?

yes, its on suttisarn, a very well known and rather traffic choked narrow street going east from the Sapan Kwai/Big C intersection toward Huay Kwang. There are many more such m2m massageplaces along that road. Saw a guy in the later pictures named SAM many moons ago in another place-forgotten which and also forgotten if I ever took him. There might even be 1 or 2 other guys I have seen before somewhere else. There is in this same subforum a kind of listing from chinese facebook listings for BKK-massage and most of thes eplaces are also along Suttisarn or its sidedois. Name of this spa is also a kind of thai play with words, so I hope you do not get caught in that. Oh Gath Nah means a kind of very polite´maybe later´ and is spoken quite similar to how this place would be pronounced by a Thai. BTW; those of you who did visit: did you check/find out if they are Thai or the nowadays more usual Khmer/Lao/Phima=Myanm/Burmese?

I think I probably said something similar in the earlier thread. As we age we lose some cognitive abilities - typically. And there are plenty of scammers out there looking to separate elderly people from their money. I see my 82 year old mother going downhill. Her memory is very poor. Luckily my brother lives with her and can help deal with some things around the household and with bookkeeping, but he's got his own issues. Unfortunately I am 800 miles away and couldn't travel for the last 15 months. But did see them recently. She has an elderly brother nearby and my cousin is there as well. But they're not especially close. She is fairly socially isolated. So I think faranglaw is on the right track.

Yes, its a rule of thumb of annual withdrawal to ensure your nesting eggs will not deplete before its time. But as pointed out above, it still depends on inflation, how much dividen your investment is making. And it is still inst foolproof as curveballs like covid, change of rules that impacted your access to your money, forex, or huge unexpected expenditures could derails your plan too. There are two clues that these two had curveballs in their lives. The first are probably why the had to sell their place. If they own it outright, only reason to sell is because their savings have been hit hard already. The second curveball is probably the new rules by thai gov on visa requirement. This one definitely hit hardest, enough for them to plan to return to their country. Pity they didnt decide early on to do this, during their first curveball. Regardless what really happen, i think we all can guess it has something to do with money. It can be they were a victim of scam, investment performed poorly, health expenditure that is not covered by their insurance, or etc. I recall in OP's first thread, he mentioned he observed some behaviorial issues as well such as not being frugal when they dont have as much money as before, and not using the money they got from friends for the purpose of getting back home. I do hope they at least will have enough food and taken care of in the detention center, though i dont have high hopes on thailand detention center and their jail system in entirety, i still think they will treat elderly relatively better. Hopefully their embassy will be helping them to get back home.

From The Thai Enquirer Smart AND sexy: K-drama has it all The Hallyu Wave (Korean Wave) has been a part of Thai culture for decades. Whether it’s the pretty-faced K-pop stars and their catchy music, hilarious variety shows, amazing skincare secrets, or their unisex fashion style, there’s really no stopping the cultural influence of South Korea — not only in Thailand and Asia, but throughout the world. And ever since we were all forced into lockdown by the pandemic over a year ago, their power has only grown in force and number. Why? It’s really all thanks to streaming giants like Netflix that are helping to overcome that “one-inch barrier of subtitles,” in the worlds of Oscar-winning director Bong Joon Ho, for us to escape into another world, a world away from the pandemic and away from our fears: the world of K-dramas! If you’re not aware of at least one K-drama, then you have probably been living under a rock. The storylines will leave you breathless at the end of every episode, and will make you swoon, gasp, and cry at their twists and turns, often all at the same time. From the historical tropes, feel-good rom-coms, family dramas to crime thrillers, here are the fan-favourite, zeitgeist-y, unmissable K-dramas on Netflix right now. (In no particular order, of course.) Continues with photos https://www.thaienquirer.com/28475/28475/

I'd used ipad to make video calls making use of the bigger screen to see his father better.

I may sound very uncaring but I can find very little sad about this story. If there is more info i may withdraw my lack of sympathy. However: If anyone come to live long time in Thailand , need to have sufficient resources.,insurance and sense.If a person comes with that but runs out of money then simply return to yoyr home country.

Then again, let's not even assume that the signed "contract" was between Thailand and the vaccine manufacturer. I shall entertain the possibility that it could have been between the ministry and some local representative of the vaccine manufacturer specifying no details of price or delivery date (mere minor details, you understand), but setting down the most important aspect of any purchase: the percentage commission to be diverted to certain bigwigs.

Not all temples are that close. Pheah Vihear, Koh Ker or Bakan are day trip , same goes with mount Kulen. I was twice about a week in Siem Reap and can envision no boredom two weeks stay at least but I like ruins .

I've heard multiple times that FTL is much better retirement destination than Miami. Been to both cities and can definitely confirm.

It must have been the weight of the iPad that he was apparently holding when he fell overboard!

I had a very nice Italian dinner tonight at Azzurro. It is a nice and small Italian place near Phra Kanhong. The food was good but the deserts were excellent. If you are in this area, they have a really great lunch special until 4 or 5 each day that is really reasonable. http://www.azzurro46.com/ Address: 46/2 Sukhumvit 46, Phra Kanhong , Klongteo Bangkok Phone: 02 392 5989

This company is working on a functional cure

I believe that the US (and other governments) used similar language during the acquisition process of the Pfizer, Moderna and other vaccines. The objective was to get the process underway ASAP and to assure its position in the sequence of delivery. At the time, precise manufacturing costs could not be determined. It is not an uncommon practice in these circumstances when results are deemed by the buyer to be more important than best price. The need for speed in this case is the over riding issue. There's no denying the Thailand has been slow in getting its program moving but I see nothing to suggest (from the article) that it's unable to negotiate a contract consistent with the situation at hand.

Christianpfc, who resided in Thailand before the pandemic, has been living in Cambodia for the past six months. He regularly posts reports on his blog. https://christianpfc.blogspot.com/2021/05/cambodia-general-observations.html

It's difficult to believe that the hatred and fear of homosexuality could override Turing's enormous achievements - that they were considered secondary to his "gayness." And given that the judiciary at the time came from the upper classes (and probably still do), whose gay activities are legendary, I wonder if any of his accusers and judges were themselves guilty of the "crime" of being gay? I had never heard of Turing until I saw the movie. I remember walking out of the theatre feeling disgusted at what had happened to him. What a bunch of ungrateful bastards! Turing's treatment was a product of the times in which he lived and we've come a long way since then. I'm very happy to see that he is now on a banknote, which will keep his memory alive.

The more I walk around Palermo, the more happy I am at my choice. After so many years in Recoleta, it is awesome to be back at home but, at the same time, to experience a different Buenos Aires. This is an area that had a lot of redevelopment after I left. There are many skyscrapers, crystal luxury department buildings next to family houses mostly from the 50s and 60s, although there are also older gems. It is not unusual to find buildings like this corner: A traditional house built probably at the ending of the XIX, beginning of the XX century, refurnished and repainted to get a contemporaneous look. My favorite finding was an accident. My boy Y ran out of the anesthesic (dilocaína) lotion he needs for his ass to take my cock, so we had to look for a pharmacy. In our way to the one where I had bought Viagra a couple of days ago, we found this wonder: I am not an architect, but that building is probably from the 1920s. And who knows when they cleaned those walls for the last time. The inside was just as old and outdated as the outside. A flashback in time that is not usual in this city anymore. The pharmacist is an old man, probably around 80, who needed a long time to move around and deliver an order. He probably is the son of the original pharmacist who opened the business. Surely, he is the last one to keep this pharmacy open. Soon they will be kicked out of the market by the modern uniformed pharmacy chains flourishing all over the city. I guess you have heard about how good ice cream is in Argentina. I have never been in Italy, but I am told by Italians that it is almost as good as their famous gelato. I stopped by one of the best Gelato chains in the city, Volta. Take a look at those prices! I bought 1 Kg of delicious creamy pleasure for only 12 bucks at official rate, 7.70 at blue. Perhaps is more expensive than USA ice cream, but you cannot compare. If you want a fair comparison, compare this ice cream to an orgasm. I keep checking out my favorite dishes out of my To Eat list. Last night, was the turn for milanesas argentinas auténticas. Finally, to honor TGIF, I tried my first contract with a local escort, Ander. I was actually expecting to start next week, because Grindr has my dick smoking. It was an accident. I was checking profiles in Scruff, and saw this Colombian guy who I already had in my To Do List. I hit him as a regular hook up and he responded telling me he was an escort. I decided to keep playing the game "I did not know you". We quickly closed a deal for $AR 5,000 (51 bucks official/32 Blue). The guy was amazing. I offered him a photo session, and he told me he will think about it. I will wait for his response to write and publish a detailed review in the blog. Just as a spoiler, he was absolutely recommendable. Pleasing and at the same time demanding, passionate, voracious and uninhibited, indeed I will see him again with or without photo session. I was actually planning to hire first Douglas, to start with someone I already know. I even contacted him to check his fee. He charges only $AR 2,500 (U$S 26/16). However, after he told me his fee he vanished. I am still struggling with finding a productive routine. I still have to telework until the 18th, and the city closes down at 8pm because of the pandemic. The government just announced new protocols, less strict, and starting next week the city will close at 11pm. When I am traveling, I usually write in the mornings. This time I will probably do as I am doing right now. Once the city closes down, if I have energy, I will write.

Although we may all rightly despise the law passed in the 1860s that condemned known homosexuals as criminals, the fact was that many so-called upright [sic] Victorian, Edwardian and later gentlemen were up to their necks in homosexual activity. That they came from privileged backgrounds and were married with children meant that their 'misdemeanours' were passed off as mere uncharacteristic incidents, assuming, that is, that others in 'society' were aware of it - as indeed many were. Had Alan Turing come from the upper classes with friends in high places, it is highly unlikely he would have been charged with anything. If a long-standing member of Parliament, Lord Boothby, was known by many - although not publicly, for the media gag laws in those days were draconian - not only to have engaged in numerous scandalous homosexual affairs, but also enjoyed a multi-decade romance with the wife of the soon-to-be Prime Minister Harold Macmillan, to the extent that many believed Macmillan's youngest daughter had been sired by Boothby, many blind eyes should have been turned in Turing's case. Regrettably his arrest and subsequent conviction were a result of several extremely unfortunate occurrences. First he had only recently commenced a romantic affair with a 19 year old youth. One evening he returned home to find that his home had been burgled. His emotional boyfriend admitted to Turing that he knew the name of the burglar but informed Turing that if he told the police, he would 'out' him as gay. Since nothing of significant value had been stolen, Turing should just have let things be. But he refused to be threatened in such a way and did report the robbery. As the police were searching his home and realised that he was gay, his legal position was untenable. Any other man with such wartime achievements could have called on his wartime superiors to speak on his behalf and mitigate whatever the Court's sentence might have been, if anything. But Turing has signed the Official Secrets Act in order to get into Bletchley Park. Everything he did there was covered by the Act. Officially he had never worked there. As I think he is informed in the film on his last day, officially you do not exist! Had he chosen to go public and broken the Secrets Act, he could have been sentenced to up to 14 years in jail. Despite his wartime successes, he would essentially have been regarded as a traitor. Finally, it was his solicitor who advised him to plead guilty rather than try to fight the charge in the hope of getting a reduced sentence. Had Turing just had someone to advise him not to report the burglary, it is extremely likely that he could have enjoyed many more years of life, as well as the gratitude of hundreds of millions as his exploits were eventually declassified.

I still think Classrooms above A-Bomb bar has better location

From Pattaya Mail June is considered the month of pride among LGBTQ. The mall in Bangkok like Samyan Mitrtown has transformed its iconic tunnel walk with colorful rainbow decorations to celebrate ‘Pride Month’ under the campaign ‘Samyan Mitr Proud 100% Love’ to promote love and equality of LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer). The event is taking place from now until July 11, 2021.

I thought I had written about these two English men who found themselves on really hard times in an earlier thread a few months ago. But I cannot find it. So apologies if I repeat myself. I just find this sad tale one that more than a few considering retirement in Thailand might also find themselves eventually facing. I had virtually forgotten about them until a friend sent me a Thai Visa thread at the weekend. The background. Two Englishmen I'll call D and D moved to Thailand to retire in Thailand around 2003. Both gay but I was never sure if they were a gay couple. I expected not. Just two good friends saving money by retiring together. They purchased the large double flat next to mine and spent quite a bit renovating it. Over the years I rarely saw them other than in the lift, waiting for a taxi or when we would occasionally invite ourselves to the others apartments for a glass of wine. They were polite - almost reserved. They hardly ever ventured out except to meet other expat friends for a coffee or a drink. Apart from one trip to England, I do not think they ever left Thailand. Both had medical insurance policies from English companies and one certainly had a pension being remitted. But I know that they used the 800,000 baht cash route when it came time to renew their retirement visas. As neighbours, I could not have asked for any pair more considerate and quiet. About 5 years ago they sold their flat. It had taken them a long time to sell and I know they got considerably less than they hoped for. Still, they will have at least doubled their purchase price. I assume it was probably in the region of 10-12 million. They moved into a rented apartment about 1.5 km away. From what I have now learned, the rental was probably in the region of 50K - 60K for a flat in the 140 - 200 square meter range. With hindsight that clearly was a massive mistake. Committing to such a large rental near the city centre with virtually a fixed amount of cash to live on for life was stupid. The recent past. In May last year, both extended their retirement visas still using the 800,000 baht route. Since this requires keeping that amount unspent for three months, they presented evidence via the bankbook in August. Something very serious then happened, but we do not know what. From at least 1.6 million in the bank plus other savings from the sale of their flat etc., in the space of little over 2 months they had virtually nothing. They stopped paying their rent. By December their landlord had cut the electricity and water to the apartment. They started calling friends asking for small loans. The landlord took them to court. The judge gave them a month to vacate the apartment. They did not leave. Soon even friends ceased to provide cash they knew would never returned. They started making plans to return to England, even though one had no living relatives there and the other only an older sister. Then those pans fell through, perhaps because of covid regulations but more likely they had no money to purchase tickets. They continued living without air conditioning, a fan or even water. The present. Having failed to renew their retirement visas towards the end of May, the matter moved from the police to the immigration authorities. Last week, in their mid-80s they were arrested and placed in a detention centre. Having overstayed their visas they will be deported and blacklisted. Who pays for their tickets is uncertain. One Thai Visa respondent states that the UK Embassy does not pay for such tickets. Then what happens is also uncertain since it seems at least one has nowhere to live on return. From the photo on the Thai Visa thread showing them in custody they appear desperately thin suggesting they had little money for food. What the future holds for them must be grim. But there remains the unanswered question: what happened to the cash they had in the middle of last year which then vanished within months? I suppose, perhaps like others we have heard about, they borrowed from money lenders at a very high interest rate and that cleaned them out. Who knows? Sad nonetheless.

I predict not only will he get away with it but will be back in school by fall. Crime Former College Football Player Accused of Killing Man He Met on Tinder From left: Ismemen David Etute and Jerry Paul Smith Jerry Paul Smith of Blacksburg, Va., was beaten to death May 31. A man he met on Tinder is charged with second-degree murder. A suspended Virginia Tech football player accused of killing a gay man has said he became enraged after discovering the person he had met for a sexual encounter was male. Jerry Paul Smith was killed May 31 at his home in Blacksburg, Va. A medical examiner ruled he died of blunt force trauma to the head; an autopsy further revealed that every bone in his face was broken and that he had skull fractures, the Roanoke Times reports. His teeth had also been knocked out. His body was discovered the following day, and Ismemen David Etute, 18, of Virginia Beach was arrested June 2. Etute is charged with second-degree murder. Etute appeared in Montgomery County General District Court in Christiansburg Wednesday. Prosecutor Jason Morgan, in arguing against Etute’s release on bond, testified that the defendant had met Smith for oral sex April 10, after the two had connected on Tinder. Etute believed that the person he had hooked up with was a woman named Angie. He returned to Smith’s apartment May 31, realized Smith was a man, and flew into a rage. It isn’t clear from media reports why Etute thought Smith was a woman during the initial encounter. No one has identified Smith as transgender; his family has said he was a gay man. But Etute became so agitated that he began punching Smith, according to information presented by Morgan and by defense attorney Jimmy Turk. “Etute told the police he punched Smith five times in the face and continued punching the victim when they hit the ground and ‘stomped’ on them,” the Times reports. “Etute heard ‘bubbling and gurgling’ as he left the apartment but didn’t call the police.” Turk responded by telling the court, “I’m not saying what happened was acceptable, but this was more than someone just showing up to an apartment and punching someone.” Turk had argued for his client to be released on bond, and a judge initially granted it, but Morgan appealed. The attorneys then reached a compromise under which Etute was released on a secured $75,000 bond and will be under house arrest and electronic monitoring, according to the Times. His mother had testified that someone is always at their home and that the family includes three siblings, among them a younger sister with Down syndrome. Etute had entered Virginia Tech at midterm and participated in training with the football team. He is now suspended from both the team and the university.