But he would be sentenced to death here.
Sentenced to death here means a trial of at least three years, with all the delays; then ten to fifteen years of appeals...he wouldn't be executed for quite a while.
In a Thai jail he could be beaten or starved to death before the year is out.
Yes, but in the USA he will have 20 years of appeals and then maybe, maybe not be executed. In Thailand, the death sentence is carried out in pretty short order (within a year maybe even a month).