Australian Man Charged With Murder of 17-Year-Old in Pattaya, Denies Allegations

Thai police charged Australian national Simon Peter Carman with the murder of 17-year-old Thunchanok Donhomla after her body was discovered inside a black suitcase near railway tracks in Pattaya in the early hours of Saturday. Police allege Carman strangled the teenager following a dispute over payment after picking her up for sex near Jomtien Beach.

CCTV footage showed him leaving a condominium alone with a large suitcase loaded onto a motorbike on June 25.

Officers recovered the suitcase 15 minutes after his arrest at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport, where he was stopped minutes before boarding a flight to Perth. Carman has been charged with intentional murder, concealing a corpse, moving or destroying a corpse, and abduction of a minor for indecent purposes. He denies the charges.

An autopsy was expected this week, with final results pending. Investigators say forensic specialists are examining skin recovered from beneath the victim’s fingernails. Police suspect strangulation as the cause of death, noting no other significant bruises on the body.

CCTV footage captured Carman dragging the suitcase from his room, loading it onto his motorbike, riding away for 10 to 20 minutes, and returning without it. He exited the building through the back door rather than the front entrance. Officers said he spent the day shopping, eating, and doing laundry while the body remained in the room.

When detained at the airport, immigration officers noticed apparent scratch injuries on Carman. He initially told police the marks resulted from a fight with a friend, then changed his account to say they were from a spider. Thunchanok Donhomla texted friends via the Line messaging app that she had arrived at Carman’s apartment and that the room was messy.

A friend filmed video of her walking hand-in-hand with Carman shortly before she vanished and later provided the footage to police. Police are examining whether Carman could be connected to two unsolved cases in neighboring districts in which women’s bodies were also found in suitcases within the past two years. Both victims worked in the region’s adult entertainment industry.