Texas bodybuilder and influencer drowns in Thailand after fleeing police
Translated from Lithuanian, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.
At a glance
- A Texas-born bodybuilder and social media influencer known as "FitKing" drowned in a lake in Thailand after fleeing from police.
- The influencer, who had over 2.4 million subscribers, was reportedly behaving erratically before jumping into the water.
- Police found syringes and pills in his car, and his rented home was found vandalized.
A fitness influencer from Texas, known online as "FitKing," drowned in a Thai lake after a bizarre encounter with police. The 29-year-old, whose real name was Julian Murphy, was famous for his bodybuilding content and jaw-shaping exercises, amassing over 2.4 million YouTube subscribers.
Murphy panicked and fled from the officers, after which he jumped into a nearby body of water.
Local Thai media reported that Murphy jumped into a lake near his home in Samut Prakan province on Tuesday night. Police stated that Murphy had hired a driver but began acting strangely, offering the driver money and rolling on the road. When officers arrived, Murphy panicked and fled, eventually jumping into the nearby water.
Witnesses said the fitness vlogger swam until he appeared to tire and submerged. Rescue divers searched for about 30 minutes before recovering his body. Investigators later found his rented home, where he had lived with his girlfriend for three months, in a state of disarray with vandalized walls and damaged furniture.
The fitness vlogger swam until he appeared to tire and submerged underwater.
Murphy's girlfriend told investigators that he had not been acting unusually before his death and she was unaware of any potential drug use. However, during a search of Murphy's car, police found two unused syringes and several white pills. Police have not yet provided further comment.
Murphy had not been acting unusually before his death, and she claimed to be unaware of possible drug use.
Originally published by Delfi in Lithuanian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.