👀 Former Friends Break Their Silence as New Details Emerge About Australian Murder Suspect”

The hidden life of the Australian accused in Thailand suitcase murder: Friends call him a loner obsessed with control as ex asks, ‘What if I had married him?’

Former friends of the Australian truck driver accused of murdering a teenage girl in Thailand say they were deeply disturbed by the allegations—but not entirely surprised.

They describe Simon Peter Carman, 45, as a loner whose unusual behavior often unsettled those around him, claiming he frequently tried to dominate social situations and had an intense fascination with firearms. Now, as Carman faces murder charges in Thailand, people who once knew him in both Australia and Thailand are speaking publicly about the man behind the international headlines.

Carman is accused of killing 17-year-old Tunchanok Donhomla, known as Cake, before allegedly placing her body inside a suitcase and abandoning it beside railway tracks in Jomtien, a coastal suburb just south of Pattaya.

Thai police arrested the Australian at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi International Airport on Friday evening as he allegedly attempted to board a Jetstar flight bound for Perth.

He has since been charged with four offences, including murder, which carries the possibility of life imprisonment or the death penalty under Thai law if convicted.

Carman denies the allegations. He maintains he acted in self-defense after an argument escalated inside his H๏τel room.

As investigators continue piecing together the final hours before the teenager’s death, Daily Mail has uncovered new details about Carman’s life in both Australia and Thailand.

According to former acquaintances, Carman had spent years travelling between Australia and Thailand, reportedly funding long stays in the country’s tourist H๏τspots through a substantial workers’ compensation payout he received after suffering a back injury while working as a truck driver.

People who knew him in Australia described him as socially isolated, with very few close friends.

One former acquaintance said Carman often made others uncomfortable through what they described as constant attempts to establish dominance over other men.

“He is a weirdo,” the former friend said.

“He would always try to ᴀssert dominance in every situation. He’d make it look like a joke, but he’d suddenly start wrestling with guys just to prove he was stronger.”

The acquaintance admitted the allegations were shocking but said Carman’s arrest did not come as a complete surprise.

“The news is terrible, but I can’t honestly say I’m shocked,” he said.

“I’ve seen him on television since his arrest and he looks incredibly calm. That’s exactly what he was always like.”

The same acquaintance also dismissed speculation circulating online that Carman may have had an intellectual disability because of his slow speech.

According to the friend, Carman underwent surgery to remove a brain tumor during childhood but recovered well and lived independently as an adult.

“He had a scar from the surgery, but he worked, drove trucks, went camping, fishing and riding dirt bikes,” the acquaintance said.

“He owned several firearms and loved target shooting. He wasn’t intellectually disabled. He simply spoke slowly.”

Friends also claimed Carman struggled to form romantic relationships in Australia and eventually turned to Thailand hoping for a fresh start.

“He never had a girlfriend here,” one acquaintance alleged.

“No woman I know would have been interested. He was just someone who ended up at family gatherings because he’d always been around.”

Yet the image described by people who knew Carman in Thailand was markedly different.

Several friends said he became a familiar figure around Pattaya and Jomtien, living there on and off for years before the COVID-19 pandemic, then returning once international travel resumed.

One acquaintance said Carman contacted many local friends after moving back roughly a year ago.

“He sent everyone messages saying he was back in Jomtien and living in the same apartment building again.”

One of those messages was sent to a Thai woman he had briefly dated before the pandemic.

Following his arrest, that seemingly ordinary text has taken on an entirely different meaning for her.

According to one of her friends, the woman has been left deeply shaken after learning of the charges.

Before the pandemic, she and Carman had gone on several dates after meeting while she worked as a cleaner near his apartment building.

Unlike the teenager at the center of the current case, she was already 34 years old.

The friend’s account painted Carman as polite and friendly during those meetings.

“He came to my house with her and always seemed like a nice man,” the friend recalled.

“He had many Thai friends, both men and women. I only ever saw him spending time with Thai people.”

When Carman returned to Australia during the pandemic, the relationship faded.

Meanwhile, the woman lost her job during the economic slowdown, later married another local man and moved on with her life.

When Carman returned to Thailand about a year ago, he contacted her again.

“He sent her a message saying he was back,” the friend said.

“She replied that she was married now.”

Since news of the charges broke, the woman has reportedly struggled to process what happened.

“She keeps asking herself, ‘What if I had met Simon again? What if I had married Simon?’” her friend said.

“We never saw him like that. He always seemed like a nice person.”

Thai investigators allege CCTV footage captured Carman walking hand in hand with Ms. Donhomla as the pair entered an elevator at his H๏τel.

Hours later, security cameras allegedly recorded him leaving the building carrying a large black suitcase.

Police later found the teenager’s body inside a suitcase abandoned beside railway tracks roughly ten minutes from the H๏τel.

Authorities arrested Carman shortly afterward at Bangkok’s international airport as he prepared to board a flight back to Australia.

Investigators allege Carman told police he and the teenager had agreed on a payment of 1,000 baht (about AU$43), but an argument developed after he allegedly offered only half that amount.

In a police interview recorded on video, Carman claimed the teenager attempted to rob him.

“I had my wallet open to get my money out,” he said.

“Next thing I know there’s a knife in my face.”

He told investigators he acted in self-defense.

During the same interview, Carman turned toward the camera and addressed the teenager’s family.

“I feel very bad for what happened to your daughter,” he said.

“It was out of my control.”

Police also questioned him about visible scratches and bruises on his neck and arms.

Carman claimed the injuries were caused by spiders at the condominium where he had been staying, telling investigators the insects were “always” there.

Before relocating to Thailand, Carman had reportedly been living alone in an industrial area of Rockingham, south of Perth.

Neighbors told local media he suffered ongoing back problems, took medication for chronic pain and had previously owned firearms that were later confiscated by police.

Thai authorities have formally charged Carman with four offences: murder, concealing a body, moving or disposing of a body, and taking a person aged between 15 and 18 for Sєxual purposes.

Meanwhile, the teenager’s grieving parents travelled from Kalasin province in northeastern Thailand to Pattaya to bring their daughter’s body home.

Thongchai Donhomla and Ordee Butrakhamare, both 46, told local media their daughter had only arrived in Pattaya a few days before her death.

It had been her first visit to the famous beach city.

Although initially hesitant, they allowed her to travel with a friend because they described her as a caring young woman who had never been involved with drugs or serious trouble.

Speaking through tears, the couple rejected Carman’s apology and said they wanted the case pursued to its fullest extent.

They urged Thai authorities to prosecute the accused according to the law and, if he is ultimately found guilty by the court, impose the maximum penalty permitted under Thailand’s legal system.