Grieving family faces accused Australian in Thai court over teen’s killing, seeking death penalty
by Khemmapat Rojwanichkun · The Washington TimesPATTAYA, Thailand (AP) - Members of the family of a 17-year-old Thai girl whose body was discovered in a suitcase near a popular seaside resort city attended a court hearing on Monday where, for the first time, they could see the Australian man accused of her murder.
Simon Peter Carman was arrested in June after Tunchanok Donhomla was reported missing in Pattaya, a city about 150 kilometers (93 miles) southeast of Bangkok known for tourism and its sex trade. The suitcase containing her body was found soon afterward by railway tracks in a deserted area.
Police said the girl was last seen alive on security footage walking into a condominium with Carman, who was later seen leaving the building alone with a large suitcase. Security footage showed him loading it onto a motorbike and driving away.
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Carman, who turns 46 later this month, was brought in shackles to the Pattaya Provincial Court on Monday for a procedural hearing to designate witnesses to testify at future court sessions.
The Australian defendant could receive the death penalty
He has been charged with murder, two counts of indecent behavior involving a minor, and concealing a corpse. A conviction on the charge of premeditated murder carries the possibility of the death penalty.
Tunchanok’s family members confronted Carman directly at the end of Monday’s proceedings, after further court sessions were scheduled for December.
Inside the courtroom, one of her aunts addressed him directly, but through a translator, asking why he had so brutally killed the young woman, and how he would feel if the victim had been a member of his own family.
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Pressed to apologize by Khanitta Nongkhampoon, Carman said he felt devastated but not guilty, insisting again that he did nothing wrong. When told that Tunchanok’s jaw had been broken, he said he was unaware of that.
“You are so evil, you did wrong but have no remorse,” said Khanitta. “You cannot give us even just an apology.”
The grieving relatives were driven to tears by the defendant’s denials
The exchange, which was not put on the court record, left Khanitta and another aunt, Miruntree Thanachai, in tears.
“I feel angry, angry. I was angrier and more hurt when I heard his answer like this,” Khanitta told reporters afterward. She said Carman’s attitude has strengthened her desire to see him receive the death penalty.
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Carman admitted taking Tunchanok back to his condominium but initially denied all charges. In a police interrogation video shared online by Thai media, he said he was defending himself because she was threatening him with a knife. He said he didn’t know her real age.
However, when advised by a judge on Monday that the evidence against him on hiding the victim’s corpse was strong but that he could expect leniency on that charge if he confessed to it, Carman indicated that he would change his plea to guilty.
Ahead of the hearing, Miruntree had told reporters it would be the family’s first meeting with the Australian defendant. “We previously asked the authorities, but they didn’t allow us to see him. We want to meet the person who killed our family member,” she said.
The family said Tunchanok had gone on a vacation trip to Pattaya from their home in the rural northeastern province of Kalasin.
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Police arrested the suspect as he was about to fly home to Australia
Carman was arrested at a Bangkok airport before boarding a flight to Australia. Police said subsequent questioning led them to the suitcase with the girl’s body.
“Simon claimed that it was self-defense, but this is not self-defense because if it is self-defense, how can my child’s teeth fall out? I want to ask,” the victim’s father, Tongchai Donhomla, told reporters. He and other family members said they had viewed the victim’s body, and that her face had been smashed in.
“I want the death penalty, but there is nothing I can do. I want the law to punish, to the fullest,” he said.
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His sentiment was echoed by Tunchanok’s aunt Miruntree. “We want the execution because we don’t want this to happen to others again. No one can bear this kind of damage,” she said.
On Friday, the grieving family also filed a case against Carman in civil court, asking for damages of 1.65 million baht ($49,000).
The courts scheduled the next hearings in the criminal case for Dec. 8, 9 and 11. Two and a half days are slotted for the prosecution to present witnesses, while the defense is slated to have half a day for its sole witness, Carman himself.