Father of teen found dead in suitcase issues defiant message to daughter’s accused killer
The heartbroken father of a 17-year-old Thai girl whose body was found stuffed inside a suitcase has issued a defiant message to her accused murderer.
Australian man Simon Peter Carman, 45, was arrested just moments before boarding a flight to Perth last week, where he was hit with a raft of charges, including murder, concealing and moving a body, and abducting a minor for indecent purposes.
Police allege the Ballarat-born man folded Tunchanok Donhomla’s body into a 29-inch suitcase and dumped it in long grass beside the railway tracks, approximately 2.6 miles from where he was staying.
Carman denies these charges and claims he acted in self-defence following an alleged dispute between the pair over 500 baht ($23).
The family of Donhomla has repeatedly called for her alleged killer to be subject to the full force of the law.
In Thailand, a murder conviction can result in either life imprisonment or the death penalty via lethal injection.
Donhomla’s father, Thongchai, said the family would not be pursuing or accepting compensation from Carman if he were found guilty.
The Thai legal system takes mitigating factors into account when sentencing an offender, meaning people facing charges are able to pay victims or their families as a show of remorse.
In some cases, the restitution can significantly reduce jail time.
However, Donhomla has quashed any chance of reduced time for the accused, saying he would be letting the “legal system take its course.”
“Even though I am poor, I will not trade my daughter’s dignity for money,” Donhomla told the ABC.
“I love my daughter so much.”
Carman facing ‘detrimental’ choice
News.com.au previously revealed that Carman could be looking at legal fees upwards of $130,000 or several million baht.
If he is unable to pay these fees, he will be given a court-appointed lawyer, which sources say could be “detrimental” to his case.
“Under Thai law, intentional killing is very serious,” said Luca Bernardinetti, Chairman and Managing Partner of Mahnakorn Partners Group (MPG).
“Thai courts may consider mitigating factors such as a confession, co-operation, remorse, voluntary surrender or steps taken to reduce harm,” he told news.com.au.
“But you cannot erase murder with a donation.”
Bernardinetti said the Australian Embassy did not pay for, or provide legal counsel to, citizens accused of crimes.
“It’s a very expensive case, and costs vary significantly on language requirements, forensic evidence, trial length, prison visits, and the seniority of their representation,” he said.
“Most court appointed lawyers have a poor understanding of the English language, it’s a big problem.”
Bizarre messages reveal Carman’s psyche
A sex worker claims she was messaging with Carman while Donhomla’s body was allegedly hidden in the bathroom of his Pattaya apartment.
“I’m so tired,” Carman texted her, according to 7News.
“I’m going to go for a swim today.”
The woman is said to have panicked upon hearing hours later that Carman had been arrested after a body was found in a suitcase.
Just weeks earlier, the accused killer was involved in an aggressive text exchange with a Thai woman following a motorbike accident.
Khanittha Thongsuknmag, 53, said she crossed paths with Carman on June 5 when they were involved in an accident outside the Jomtien Condominium apartment complex, where they were both staying.
Recounting their interactions to the Australian Associated Press, the woman described Carman as “King Kong.”
“He was angry, angry,” she said.
Messages between the pair show Carman threatening Thongsuknmag to buy him a wheelchair, promising he will otherwise “make sure big trouble.”
When Thongsuknmag tried to apologise and told him her insurance would cover the costs, he called her “stupid and dopey,” according to the WhatsApp exchange.
“I have to see specialist in Pattaya. I need taxi!! you can pay, you evil b***h,” another message said.
Thongsuknmag said she paid Carman 2000 baht ($87) at the behest of the police, but he continued to demand more money for a wheelchair.
“I blocked his number,” she said.
That same month, Carman invited a Thai mother-of-two to his apartment, an experience she described as “stinky” and “musty.”
According to the Daily Mail, Tang Chai, 43, encountered Carman at a 7-Eleven near his condo after moving to Pattaya from the same rural province as Donhomla.
“Simon said hello at 7-Eleven and asked for my number,” Chai told the outlet.
“He sent me messages on WhatsApp [that] same day and ask me out for a date.”
