Pattaya, Thailand – Simon Peter Carman, a 46-year-old Australian former trucker, was arrested late on June 26th at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport as he attempted to board a flight to Perth. Thai authorities have charged him with the murder of 17-year-old Thanchanok Donhomlao, whose brutally beaten body was found stuffed inside a suitcase near railway tracks in the Pattaya area before he attempted unsuccessfully to flee the country. Carman has admitted to the killing but claims it occurred in self-defense during a struggle. Now, details have begun to emerge on his past pieced together by acquaintances and neighbors.
The case has shocked the victim’s family in Thailand’s Kalasin province, who described Thanchanok, also known as Cake, as a helpful and independent young woman. She lived with her father, Thongchai Donhomlao, and stepmother, Oradee Bussarakum. Family members said she occasionally supported the household by selling garlands or fruit at intersections during festivals, though they did not require her to work and provided her with small allowances for outings. She had traveled to Pattaya on June 16th for reportedly the first time with money from her grandmother, hoping for a seaside holiday with a friend.
The family reported her missing after friends lost contact following her last known sighting with a foreign man in the early hours of June 25th. Her stepmother, Oradee Bussarakum, spoke of their devastation to the media. “We never expected this. When they found her, we still hoped she was alive”, she told reporters, adding that their eyes were swollen from crying. She has called for the suspect to face the harshest punishment, which in Thailand could mean the death penalty. Her father, Thongchai, appeared tearful in interviews, saying he was deeply saddened and that his daughter had always been helpful to him.
In a video recorded while in custody, Carman addressed the family directly stating slowly and in a detached manner “I feel bad for what happened to your daughter. It was out of my control. I know you’ll be very sad, upset, same, same me. It shouldn’t happen, and I hope you’re OK. I know you’re not, but I hope. And please tell other girls to be careful.” His statements were almost universally criticized on both Thai and English language media as insincere and even “bizarre”. His statement claiming it was out of his control has particularly angered many Thai citizens and foreign readers.
Now, details have begun to emerge on Carman’s background and personality amidst intense international interest in the story which has gone viral worldwide.
Carman had been living a relatively quiet life in Thailand for about eight months at a Jomtien condominium complex in Jomtien, south of Pattaya, paying roughly 330 US dollars a month in rent. The area attracts foreigners seeking a calmer pace away from the main tourist spots. Acquaintances described him as slow in his movements, thoughts, and speech with one neighbor, asking for anonymity, telling reporters: “Everything about him was slow. He talked slow, he walked slow, he seemed to think slow”.
A nearby anonymous business staff member who said Carman occasionally came in noted that he seemed a bit abnormal because he spoke slowly and would stare at things in a detached manner for a long time, yet he otherwise blended in as a typical expat, swimming, ordering food deliveries, and eating out locally. He would sometimes walk along the beach at night when he could not sleep but appeared to be a loner with essentially no close friends. He lived alone and kept to himself.
Carman has ties to Ballarat in regional Victoria, Australia, and previously worked as a long haul truck driver between Western Australia and parts of Victoria. He had lived south of Perth at one point before moving to Thailand around 8 months ago. However, Carman appears to have no social media presence and appeared to be extremely private and a loner.
Police allege that Carman met the 17-year-old in the Beach Road area early on June 25th and took her to his condominium. CCTV footage is said to show them entering together hand in hand around 3:30 a.m. and him later leaving alone dragging a large black suitcase. The victim’s body was discovered early on June 27th. Investigators reported signs of a struggle in the room and fingernail scratches on Carman, which he has attributed to other causes in his defense claims. He faces multiple charges, including murder and offenses related to concealing the body and taking a minor for sexual purposes.
He claims she tried to extort him for money and threatened him with a knife and his actions were self defense. Police and the public have widely scrutinized these statements, pointing out he kept the body in his room for almost a day, disposed of it, and then tried to flee Thailand, which were not actions of an innocent person acting in self defense. He is also roughly three times her size, many people noted.
He is currently held without bail in Pattaya Remand Prison, where Australian consular officials are providing assistance. It is unclear if he has hired a lawyer as of press time and Carman noted in interviews with police that he had limited funds.
Thai authorities have up to 84 days to complete their investigation before formal court proceedings advance. The case continues to unfold as both the victim’s grieving family and investigators seek answers. We will continue to give updates on this story here at The Pattaya News.
