Enzo Bettamio, an 18-year-old international kart racer, has pleaded not guilty to murdering Kamonnan Thiamphanit, 27, who was found dead with multiple stab wounds at her central London home after renting a room to him via Airbnb.
Defendant appears at Old Bailey
At a plea and trial preparation hearing on Friday at the Old Bailey, the dual Brazilian and Italian national confirmed his identity and denied the murder charge before Judge Simon Mayo KC. Bettamio, who wore a dark Adidas tracksuit jacket and had a plaster covering his right eye, was remanded into custody. His trial is set to begin on February 1 next year.
Details of the case
The court previously heard that Bettamio allegedly killed Ms Thiamphanit within 24 hours of arriving in the UK in 2024. Then aged 16, he had flown into the country from Los Angeles on April 5, 2024, and used the Airbnb app to book a room for a month at her property in Stanhope Place, near Marble Arch in central London.
Ms Thiamphanit spent the evening of April 5 playing board games with friends and left in the early hours of April 6, citing an emergency at the Stanhope Place address. An Uber minicab dropped her off at 4.24am, which was the last time she was seen alive. Some 13 hours later, Bettamio allegedly flagged down a black cab on Bayswater Road to take him to the airport, where he bought a ticket to Dubai.
Discovery of body
Concerned friends alerted police, who found Ms Thiamphanit's body inside her home on April 8. A post-mortem examination determined she died from multiple sharp force injuries. Bettamio was later extradited from the United Arab Emirates to face charges.
