A teenager has been charged with murdering a woman within hours of landing in the UK, after being extradited from Dubai to face justice. Enzo Bettamio, 18, a dual Brazilian and Italian national, allegedly stabbed 27-year-old Kamonnan Thiamphanit to death on April 6, 2024, just one day after arriving from Los Angeles. He was flown back to the UK from the United Arab Emirates on April 24 this year and formally charged with murder the following day.
Charge and extradition
Bettamio was arrested upon arrival at Charing Cross police station and charged with murder. The Metropolitan Police led the investigation with support from specialist lawyers in the Crown Prosecution Service’s extradition and international units. The force also referred itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) after officers were contacted twice by Ms Thiamphanit’s friends the day before her body was discovered; the case was initially graded as a medium-risk missing person inquiry.
Last week, on April 27, Bettamio appeared at the Old Bailey via video link from Wandsworth Jail. He spoke only to confirm his identity, name and date of birth. No plea has been entered. Prosecutor Nadeem Holland told the court that the defendant is accused of killing Ms Thiamphanit during a period of just 24 hours in the UK in 2024.
Timeline of events
The court heard that Bettamio, then aged 16, arrived in the UK on a flight from Los Angeles on April 5, 2024. He allegedly used the Airbnb application to book a room for a month at Ms Thiamphanit’s property in Stanhope Place, near Marble Arch in central London.
Ms Thiamphanit, also known as Angela, was 27 years old and held dual Chinese-Hong Kong and Thai nationality. She had been living in the UK for approximately nine years, having moved here in 2016 to study graphic design. She worked in property management in central London and travelled frequently. The property at 6 Stanhope Place is a five-bedroom Georgian townhouse, a Grade II-listed building that previously served as the Ethiopian Embassy, valued at approximately £3.1 million to £4 million. She had been renting it out as an Airbnb.
On the evening of April 5, Ms Thiamphanit spent time playing board games with friends. In the early hours of April 6, she left the group, telling them there was an emergency at the Stanhope Place address. An Uber minicab dropped her off at 4.24 am — the last time she was physically seen alive, Mr Holland said.
Approximately 13 hours later, Bettamio allegedly flagged down a black cab on nearby Bayswater Road and asked to be taken to the airport, where he bought a ticket to Dubai and fled. Ms Thiamphanit’s friends became concerned when they could not reach her and alerted police. Officers forced entry into her home on April 8 and discovered her body.
Mr Holland told the court: “She had sustained multiple stab wounds all over her body. A large silver knife was protruding from the side of her neck.” A post-mortem examination found she had died from multiple sharp force injuries.
Court proceedings
Bettamio initially appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on April 25, where he was formally charged. He was then transferred to Wandsworth Jail and appeared at the Old Bailey on April 27, 2026, via video link. Judge Simon Mayo KC presided over the hearing, with prosecutors Nadeem Holland and Frances McCormack representing the Crown.
The judge set a plea hearing for July 14 and a provisional trial date of February 1 next year. Bettamio, of no fixed address, was remanded into custody.
