An 18-year-old man named Enzo Bettamio, who had reserved an AirBnb in central London, is facing murder charges for allegedly stabbing his host, Kamonnan Thiamphanit, also known as Angela, to death shortly after his arrival in the UK. Bettamio, an international kart racer, has been extradited from the United Arab Emirates and charged with murder.
Appearing at the Old Bailey, the dual Brazilian and Italian national denied the murder accusation during a trial preparation hearing. The court previously heard that the incident took place over a 24-hour period in the UK in 2024 when Bettamio, then 16 years old, flew in from Los Angeles on April 5, 2024. He had used the Airbnb app to rent a room at Thiamphanit’s property in Stanhope Place, near Marble Arch in central London.
Thiamphanit was reported to have spent the evening playing board games with friends and left in the early hours of April 6 due to an emergency at the property. She was last seen alive when dropped off by an Uber minicab at 4.24 am. Approximately 13 hours later, Bettamio was said to have hailed a black cab on Bayswater Road to head to the airport and purchase a ticket to Dubai.
Concerned friends of Thiamphanit contacted the police when they couldn’t reach her, leading to the discovery of her body in her home on April 8. A post-mortem examination revealed that she had died from multiple sharp force injuries.
During a court hearing before Judge Simon Mayo KC, Bettamio, who was dressed in a dark Adidas tracksuit jacket with a plaster covering his right eye, confirmed his identity and pleaded not guilty to the murder charge. He has been remanded in custody and is set to stand trial on February 1 next year.
