Australian Man Charged After Thai Teen's Body Discovered in Suitcase
Police in the coastal city of Pattaya announced that Simon Peter Carman, an Australian national, has been charged with murder after the body of 17‑year‑old Tunchanok Donhomla was found stuffed in a suitcase near a railway track.
Carman was apprehended at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport after police believed he was trying to flee Thailand. Authorities say the suspect claimed he had agreed to pay for sexual services and that an argument led to the death. He insists he was acting in self‑defence, but he denies any involvement.
The police statement noted that the girl's body, naked, was discovered about 15 minutes after Carman’s arrest. CCTV footage records Carman entering Donhomla’s apartment at 03:34 on Thursday, leaving alone with a large suitcase that he reportedly loaded onto a motorbike heading toward the railway line.
Donhomla, whose nickname was Cake, was an only child living with her father and step‑mother in Kalasin, 480 km north of Pattaya. Her family said she had travelled to Pattaya for a holiday with a friend. They have expressed deep sorrow and are demanding that Carman face the death penalty if found guilty.
Carman’s legal team has secured a defense and he asserts that fingernail scratches on his body were consistent with a struggle, though the police maintain that he denies killing the teen. A video message from Carman to Donhomla’s family states, "I feel bad for what happened to your daughter; it was out of my control." The case is under investigation and will continue to develop.
