Thai police announced Tuesday that an Australian man is facing murder and body concealment charges in connection with the death of a teenage girl in Pattaya, a well-known beach destination located roughly 150 kilometers (93 miles) east of Bangkok.
The victim, a 17-year-old girl, was reported missing on Friday. Investigators said surveillance footage captured her walking into a condominium alongside the suspect, identified as Simon Peter Carman, in the coastal resort city.
Local police said Carman was later recorded on security cameras leaving the same building by himself, carrying a large suitcase. Additional footage reportedly showed him loading the suitcase onto a motorbike before heading into a remote area near a railway line.
Authorities arrested Carman in the early hours of Saturday at a Bangkok airport, where he was about to board a flight to Perth, Australia. He was initially charged with raping a minor. Shortly after his arrest, police discovered the girl’s body inside the suitcase, which led to the additional charges of murder and concealment.
The premeditated murder charge carries a possible death penalty under Thai law.
Carman has denied all charges. He remains in custody and has been given access to an attorney. According to Kanoknan Sooksri, a Pattaya Police investigator handling the case, it is not yet known when Carman will appear before a court.
Video footage distributed by Thai media outlets allegedly shows Carman and the girl holding hands as they stepped into a condominium elevator in the early hours of Thursday morning. Separate footage shows him departing the building alone Thursday night with the dark-colored suitcase.
In another video circulated online by Thai media, Carman can be seen being questioned by police. During that questioning, he offered an explanation for his actions. “I was holding her down because she got crazy,” he told investigators. He also claimed the girl threatened him as he tried to hand her money, saying, “I had my wallet open to get the money out, and next thing there’s a knife to my face” — referring to an attempt to give her 500 baht, the equivalent of about $15.
