A teenager allegedly stabbed a woman to death within hours of arriving in the UK and renting a room from her via Airbnb.
Enzo Bettamio, 18, was charged with the murder of 27-year-old Kamonnan Thiamphanit, also known as Angela, after being extradited from the UAE last week. On Tuesday, the dual Brazilian and Italian national appeared at the Old Bailey by video link from Wandsworth Prison.
Prosecutor Nadeem Holland said the defendant allegedly killed Ms Thiamphanit during a period of just 24 hours in the UK in 2024. Mr Bettamio, then aged 16, had arrived in the UK on a flight from Los Angeles on April 5, 2024.
He had allegedly used the Airbnb application to book a room for a month at the victim’s property in Stanhope Place, near Marble Arch in central London.
Ms Thiamphanit spent that evening playing board games with friends. She left in the early hours of April 6, telling them there was an emergency at the Stanhope Place address, the court was told. An Uber minicab dropped her off at 4.24am, which was the last time she was seen alive, Mr Holland said.
Some 13 hours later, the defendant allegedly flagged down a black cab on nearby Bayswater Road. He went to the airport, where he bought a ticket to Dubai. Ms Thiamphanit’s friends became concerned and alerted police, who found her body inside her home on April 8.
Mr Holland said: “She had sustained multiple stab wounds all over her body. A large silver knife was protruding from the side of her neck.” A postmortem examination found she had died from multiple sharp force injuries.
On April 24 this year, the defendant was extradited back to the UK from the UAE. On arrival, he was arrested and taken to Charing Cross Police Station, where he was charged with murder.
Mr Bettamio, of no fixed address, spoke only to confirm his identity during the court hearing before Judge Simon Mayo KC. The judge set a plea hearing for July 14 and a provisional trial starting date of February 1, 2027. The defendant was remanded into custody.
