Thai Police Hold Australian Simon Carman, 45, in 17-Year-Old's Pattaya Murder
Updated
Updated · ABC News · Jul 4
Thai Police Hold Australian Simon Carman, 45, in 17-Year-Old's Pattaya Murder
3 articles · Updated · ABC News · Jul 4
Summary
Pattaya police say Simon Carman remains in prison awaiting court after officers arrested him at Bangkok airport while he tried to fly to Australia following 17-year-old Tunchanok Donhomla's disappearance.
CCTV traced the pair into Carman's condominium at 3:34am, then showed him leaving alone, later hauling a heavy suitcase that police say was dumped near railway tracks with the teenager's body inside.
Police said Carman first denied wrongdoing, then admitted squeezing Donhomla's neck after a dispute over money, though he still denies murder and related charges including concealing a body and taking a minor for sexual purposes.
The ABC report adds background that Carman, a Western Australian who had lived in Pattaya since late 2025, had largely cut himself off from family and friends; his gun licence was suspended in 2023 after firearms were confiscated.
Donhomla's family, who identified bruising and broken teeth, are pressing for the death penalty if Carman is convicted in a case that has shocked people who knew him in Australia.
A new law could protect Thailand's sex workers. Will this murder finally force change in Pattaya's dangerous 'Sin City'?
She sought opportunity but was found in a suitcase. Can Thailand break the poverty cycle that fuels its dangerous sex trade?
Pattaya Suitcase Murder: Simon Peter Carman Charged with Premeditated Killing of Thanchanok Donhomlao—Timeline, Evidence, and Societal Impact as of July 2026
Overview
Simon Peter Carman, an Australian national, was arrested and charged with premeditated murder after Thanchanok Donhomlao’s body was found in a suitcase abandoned near railway tracks in Pattaya. CCTV footage showed Carman and Donhomlao entering a condominium together, and later captured Carman leaving alone, dragging a suitcase. This footage, along with forensic evidence from the scene and the suitcase, forms the core of the investigation. Authorities are still working to uncover the motive and full sequence of events, while legal proceedings continue in Thailand, highlighting both the seriousness of the crime and its impact on public safety concerns.