Chilling new details have emerged about the night a 17-year-old girl was allegedly murdered by an Australian man in Thailand's Pattaya red light district. Simon Carman was seen drinking at a bar about 2am before allegedly meeting with the teenage victim Tunchanok Donhomla, known by her nickname "Cake" to friends and family.
Bar Manager Recounts Carman's Behavior
The bar manager says Carman was drunk when he walked in and staggered out alone shortly before 3am. Police allege he then met the teenage victim and took her to his apartment where he murdered her before hiding her body in his bathroom.
Disturbing WhatsApp Messages
In a disturbing new detail, 7NEWS has been told that while Carman had the teenager's body in his apartment, he was sending casual WhatsApp messages to another sex worker that same morning. In the messages, he said he was very tired and was going to go for a swim. The woman who received those messages panicked when learning just hours later that Carman had been arrested and the 17-year-old's body had been found dumped in a suitcase.
Plea from Bar Manager
"I want tourists to see us as human beings too. Please don't hurt us," bar manager Sky Kanyarat said. "We have families, we have children, younger siblings, fathers and mothers, just like tourists do. We want to go home and see them too."
Funeral and Autopsy
Hundreds of friends and family attended a Buddhist funeral for Donhomla earlier this week, with the official autopsy now complete. As family and investigators await the autopsy results, police said it appeared the girl had suffered facial injuries consistent with a violent assault, including swelling, bruising and blood around her mouth and nose.
Police Statement on Confession
"In the end, he told us that it happened after he assaulted the victim following an argument," Police Colonel Anek Sarathongyoo told 7NEWS. "He said he may have strangled her, causing her to lose consciousness and eventually die. After that, he panicked and didn't know what to do, so he put the victim's body into a suitcase. He kept her in the bathroom for about a day and later that evening he loaded the suitcase onto the back of his motorcycle and dumped it."
Apology and Charges
Sarathongyoo said the Australian had also apologised to the teenager's family, saying he "did not intend to kill her, but he had already done something wrong." Carman has been charged with murder, carrying a maximum penalty of execution.
