Australian man Simon Peter Carman has been charged with the murder of 17-year-old Thanchanok Donhomla in Thailand.
The 46-year-old was arrested at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport while allegedly trying to board a flight to Perth, before the teenager’s body was found in a suitcase near railway tracks in the resort city of Pattaya.
Donhomla’s stepmother told reporters she wants the suspect to face the death penalty.
Here’s what you need to know.
What happened?
In the early hours of Thursday (local time), CCTV showed Simon Peter Carman and Thanchanok Donhomla entering an apartment building together, walking hand-in-hand into a lift to the 15th floor. There is no footage of her leaving the building.
Later that evening, CCTV captured Carman dragging a large black suitcase from the building and loading it onto a motorcycle.
On Friday 26 June, Donhomla was reported missing by a friend after she had not made contact for more than24 hours.
Police searched Carman’s unit, where they allege they found signs of a violent struggle. Neither Carman nor Donhomla were there.
Using CCTV, police traced Carman’s movements with the suitcase. He was arrested in the early hours of Saturday, 27 June, at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport, where police allege he was trying to leave Thailand.
After his arrest and questioning, officers located Donhomla’s body inside the suitcase near railway tracks, about 4.2 kilometres from the building where she was last seen.
Local media outlet The Pattaya News reported Donhomla had physical injuries.
Latest
Your contribution ensures The Daily Aus can continue doing the work you love.
I want to give $10 monthly to help TDA keep doing the news.
Your details:
Police allege Carman told investigators he acted in self-defence after a dispute over payment. According to police reports, he had agreed to pay Donhomla 1,000 baht ($AU43), but later offered her 500 baht.
In a video statement, Carman addressed Donhomla’s family, saying: “I feel bad for what happened to your daughter. It was out of my control.”
“I know you’ll be very sad, upset. Same, same me. It shouldn’t happen. I hope you’re OK – I know you’re not – but I hope and tell other girls just to be… careful,” he said.
Response
Donhomla’s stepmother Oradee Bussarakum said she wanted Carman to face the “full consequences”.
“I told the police I want him executed. As a mother, I don’t know what else to say ... I just want him to face the full consequences,” she said.
“We had seen cases like this in the news before, so we were afraid our daughter had been murdered... We just hoped it wouldn’t turn out the way we feared.”
In Thailand, murder carries a maximum sentence of the death penalty.
“I am deeply saddened. My daughter had no mother, so whenever she wanted anything, she would find a way herself, and she always helped me too," Thongchai Donhomla speaking to Reuters about the alleged murder of his daughter Thanchanok.
What’s next?
In Thailand, police can detain a suspect without charge for up to 84 days while investigating offences carrying a maximum sentence of more than 10 years’ imprisonment.
If charges are not filed within that period, the suspect must be released.
Carman’s trial date has not been set.
