An Australian man has been charged with murder in Thailand following the discovery of a teenager's body stuffed inside a suitcase. Simon Peter Carman, 45, a truck driver from Perth, was arrested at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi International Airport as he attempted to board a flight to Australia.
Carman faces charges including murder, concealing and moving a body, and taking a minor aged between 15 and 18 for sexual purposes. He has denied the allegations, claiming he acted in self-defense after Tunchanok Donhomla, 17, allegedly attacked him with a knife during a dispute over money. A murder conviction in Thailand can carry the death penalty or a prison sentence of 15 to 20 years.
Ms. Donhomla's body was found near railway tracks outside Pattaya last Friday night. Police allege Carman placed the naked body into a suitcase and dumped it in long grass. Autopsy reports indicate the teenager suffered facial injuries consistent with a violent assault, including swelling, bruising, and blood around her mouth and nose.
Sources familiar with Carman, who had been living in a condo in Jomtien for eight months, claim that young women, some as young as Ms. Donhomla, visited his unit regularly. Some sources stated these women were sex workers, with Carman occasionally asking them to clean his room or provide a massage for a fee of approximately 2,000 baht (AU$86).
Ms. Donhomla, known as 'Cake' to her friends, had traveled to Pattaya to visit friends. She met Carman on Jomtien Beach shortly before her disappearance. CCTV footage reportedly captured the pair together shortly before she was allegedly killed. A friend of Ms. Donhomla later confronted Carman at his unit after reporting her disappearance to the police. Photos from the confrontation showed the unit to be untidy, with clothing strewn about and empty alcohol bottles visible.
Investigators are examining Carman's internet history to determine if he had any knowledge of two other murders in February and September of the previous year, where women's bodies were also found discarded in suitcases. Pattaya police chief Colonel Anek Srathongyoo stated that while they would explore potential links, it was not a certainty that the same individual was responsible for all cases.
Ms. Donhomla's family held a vigil and funeral rites in Kalasin, a province hundreds of kilometers from Pattaya. Her great aunt, Mee Boonsert, who helped raise her, described the teen as someone she loved dearly and recalled her last words before traveling to Pattaya, saying she would be back soon. Another aunt, Mirantee Thanachai, urged against viewing the teenager negatively, stating she was not trying to put herself in harm's way.
Carman was arrested by police at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi International Airport just minutes before he could board a Jetstar flight to Perth. He remains in police custody awaiting his first court appearance, the date for which has not yet been set. If convicted, Carman could face transfer to the maximum-security Bang Kwang Central Prison, known as the 'Bangkok Hilton'.