An 18-year-old man, Enzo Bettamio, who had reserved an Airbnb in central London, is facing murder charges for the alleged stabbing death of his host, Kamonnan Thiamphanit, also known as Angela. Bettamio, an international kart racer, was extradited from the United Arab Emirates in April and appeared at the Old Bailey to plead not guilty during a trial preparation hearing.
The incident took place in 2024 when Bettamio, aged 16 at the time, arrived in the UK from Los Angeles and booked a room using the Airbnb app at Thiamphanit’s property in Stanhope Place near Marble Arch in central London. Thiamphanit was last seen alive after an Uber minicab dropped her off at her residence early in the morning following an emergency call.
Approximately 13 hours later, Bettamio reportedly hailed a black cab to the airport, where he purchased a ticket to Dubai. Concerned friends of Thiamphanit alerted the authorities when they couldn’t reach her, leading to the discovery of her body at her home on April 8, with a post-mortem examination revealing fatal sharp force injuries.
Bettamio, described as having no fixed address, denied the murder charge during a court appearance before Judge Simon Mayo KC. He was remanded into custody and is scheduled to stand trial on February 1 the following year.
