Australian man arrested in Thailand for murder of 17-year-old girl found in suitcase
Thai police detained a 45-year-old Australian citizen after CCTV showed him transporting a suitcase containing the body of 17-year-old Tunchanok Donhomla, who was allegedly killed in Pattaya.
Thai authorities arrested Perth resident Simon Peter Carman on suspicion of murdering 17-year-old Tunchanok Donhomla during a dispute over payment for services in Pattaya. CCTV footage captured Carman wheeling a suitcase from his apartment complex on Saturday and later discarding it near a railway line. He was detained at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport shortly before a scheduled flight to Australia, after officers observed scratch injuries and showed him surveillance video of the suitcase being moved.
Donhomla, who had traveled from Bangkok to Pattaya, was found dead inside the suitcase. Police say she may have been deceased for several hours before Carman disposed of the luggage. The teenager was cremated in her hometown of Kalasin on Tuesday, following Buddhist customs.
Her father, Thongchai Donhomla, expressed that he wants the death penalty for the suspect, stating that Carman “took my daughter’s life away.” He also thanked Thai police for their investigative work and for obtaining the CCTV evidence.
Carman is being held on remand and faces a charge of intentional homicide. A court appearance is pending.
