An 18-year-old man named Enzo Bettamio, accused of fatally stabbing his Airbnb host, Kamonnan Thiamphanit, in central London, has pleaded not guilty to the murder charge. Bettamio, an international kart racer, was extradited from the United Arab Emirates in April to face the murder charges.
During a trial preparation hearing at the Old Bailey, the dual Brazilian and Italian national, who was 16 at the time of the incident, was alleged to have killed Ms. Thiamphanit within a 24-hour period in the UK in 2024. He had arrived in the UK from Los Angeles on April 5, 2024, and booked a room at Ms. Thiamphanit’s property near Marble Arch in central London using the Airbnb app.
On the night of the incident, Ms. Thiamphanit was with friends playing board games before leaving in the early hours of April 6 due to an emergency at her address. Her friends became worried when they couldn’t reach her and alerted the police. Ms. Thiamphanit’s body was discovered at her home on April 8, with a post-mortem examination revealing she had died from multiple sharp force injuries.
Bettamio allegedly left the scene and hailed a cab to take him to the airport, where he purchased a ticket to Dubai. Despite denying the murder charge in court before Judge Simon Mayo KC, Bettamio was remanded into custody and is set to face trial on February 1 next year.