Enzo Bettamio, an 18-year-old international kart racer, has denied the murder of his Airbnb host, Kamonnan Thiamphanit, 27, who was found stabbed to death in her £4 million Hyde Park mansion. Bettamio was extradited from the United Arab Emirates to face the charge.
Bettamio, who holds dual Brazilian and Italian nationality, appeared at the Old Bailey for a plea and trial preparation hearing. The court was previously informed that the alleged killing occurred within 24 hours of Bettamio's arrival in the UK in 2024. He had flown into Gatwick Airport from Los Angeles on April 5, 2024, and reportedly used the Airbnb app to book a month-long stay at Thiamphanit's property in Stanhope Place, near Marble Arch.
According to court proceedings, Thiamphanit spent the evening of April 5 playing board games with friends. She left her friends in the early hours of April 6, stating an emergency at her address. An Uber driver dropped her off at 4:24 a.m., which was the last confirmed sighting of her alive.
Approximately 13 hours later, Bettamio allegedly hailed a taxi from Bayswater Road and traveled to the airport, where he purchased a ticket to Dubai. Friends of Thiamphanit raised concerns and contacted the police, who discovered her body inside the residence on April 8. A post-mortem examination revealed that she died from multiple sharp force injuries, with a large silver knife found protruding from the left side of her neck.
Thiamphanit, who had dual Chinese-Hong Kong and Thai nationality, had relocated to the UK approximately 10 years prior to study. Bettamio, who has no fixed address, confirmed his identity and entered his plea of not guilty before Judge Simon Mayo KC. He appeared in court wearing a dark Adidas tracksuit jacket and with a plaster over his right eye.
Bettamio has been remanded in custody, and his trial is scheduled to commence on February 1 of the following year. Detective Chief Inspector Alison Foxwell expressed gratitude to Thiamphanit's family and friends for their support during the investigation.