Hanspeter Suter 2014; [59] The defence struggled to find members of the public willing to testify at the trial, as many feared retribution,[1][60] hence their alibi was not considered convincing by the court. Elise's heartbroken mother, Michele van Egten, has now proclaimed she does not believe police account of events. ", Mrs Miller said: "It's been hard, very hard. A mistake that many forensic experts say jeopardized the entire investigation.Throughout the investigation and criminal trial, the Thai government and police were heavily criticized by human rights organizations, legal experts, and the media. Mr Miller's body was discovered with severe head injuries several metres away, he said. We also may change the frequency you receive our emails from us in order to keep you up to date and give you the best relevant information possible. [82][83] The UK government expressed concerns with the investigation, and summoned a Thai diplomat in London to discuss them. She had checked into the hostel on February 11 and was due to check out on February 16 but failed to do so. It is a part of a huge collection of vintage LAPD crime scene pictures unearthed by photographer Merrick Morton in 2014. At the end of the trial's third day, the judge said police had informed him all the samples taken on the island were "finished" - meaning they could not be analysed again. Or is Koh Tao just unlucky for visitors or is there something more sinister happening on the beautiful Thai island and haven for Scuba divers? As we continue with our plans for our beautiful Hannahs party, our thoughts are with David Millers family who are suffering the same indescribable agony. The university graduate, who was two weeks. Thailand is one of the worlds most popular tourist destinations with around 35 million visitors each year and promotes itself as the Land of Smiles. The government is sensitive to criticism that could undermine the countrys reputation. Police chief Apichart Boonsrirote said he assigned teams to check all surveillance cameras around the hostel and on the island to find out where she was last seen, The Phuket News reported. Picture: Facebook DEATH ISLAND VICTIMS REVEALED [66], On 24 December 2015, Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo were found guilty of murdering Witheridge and Miller by the three judges, and were sentenced to death. The Koh Tao murders involved the death of two British tourists in Thailand in 2014. Ms Taupin did note however that the document that the prosecution relied upon was an Unendorsed Report in that it had no seal or stamp certifying that it had been produced by an accredited laboratory and in accordance with international standards. https://time.com/3955081/thailand-koh-tao-murder-david-miller-hannah-witheridge-zaw-lin-wai-phyo-burma-myanmar/, https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/dark-side-koh-tao-seven-10708561, https://www.strangeoutdoors.com/true-crime-in-the-outdoors/tag/Cases+on+the+Death+Island+of+Koh+Tao, https://www.nist.gov/feature-stories/dna-mixtures-forensic-science-explainer. Pathologist Dr. Michael Biggs told the hearing that there were many injuries on Nick's body, including to the head, limbs, and face. But among some foreigners, Koh Tao has taken on a more sinister reputation. The teen's body was found seven days after the boating accident. Guardian. Photo: Royal Thai Police . Dive resorts boast of its crystal-clear waters, and Western tourists flock to its lively beach bars. The team were only allowed to spend two hours on Koh Tao and did not meet with the suspects or defence. [51] The defence provided a separate explanation for the events on the night. As the Witheridge family prepares for Hannahs funeral, her parents, Sue and Tony Witheridge, released this statement: Time makes the pain of this horrendous tragedy no easier to bear. [10], Witheridge and Miller travelled and arrived on the island separately on 25 August. [94] She suggested using identification wristbands for tourists to improve safety, but the idea was quickly scrapped. We are here for David because of his tragic death. They claim they did not receive an autopsy report and say his body was sent against their wishes to the same Bangkok hospital that carried out botched reports on the bodies of two Brits murdered on the same island in 2014. They had been brutally beaten to death just a few feet away from their hotel rooms. On tiny Koh Tao, there are some 2,000 expats alongside the 2,500 registered Thais, according to Mayor Chaiyan Turasakul. 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Two Burmese migrant workers, Zaw Lin and Win Zaq Htun, both 21, have been accused of murdering the two backpackers and of raping Hannah. In September 2014, two European backpackers, Hannah Witheridge and David Miller were found murdered on Sairee Beach on Thailands island of Koh Tao. September 23, 2014 5:57 AM EDT T he brutal murder of British tourists Hannah Witheridge, 23, and David Miller, 24, on the Thai resort island of Koh Tao, has reverberated around the world.. [38] Both men were 22-year-old illegal migrant workers from Rakhine, Myanmar, who worked in the hospitality industry. A Thai/Indian couple circa June 2021. Belgian backpacker Elise Dallemagne, 30, was found hanging from a tree on April 27, 2017. [67][21][68] The conviction was primarily guided by the DNA evidence,[67][69] and the court said it did not consider their confessions in making the judgement. We had one day on Koh Tao, it was really hard.". Hannah was a University of Essex student from Hemsby in Norfolk, UK, and David was a civil and structural engineering graduate, from Jersey. [74], The investigation was met with criticism by international media, human rights groups, and legal experts. [1], A defence team from Bangkok, composed of nearly 20 lawyers, were only permitted half an hour to meet the men; a request by the defence to delay the hearing and allow more time to prepare was denied by a judge at the Koh Samui Provincial Court. Aran Klaewklong, a security guard from Big Blue Diving shop, told police he found a mobile phone, clothes, a hotel key, shoes and an ID on the beach at 1.30 am during a beach patrol. [7] Witheridge had completed undergraduate studies in education at the University of East Anglia and had started post-graduate studies in speech and language therapy at the University of Essex. Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. The family has contested the police version of events. Dec. 24, 2015. Now their families are demanding answers. GRAPHIC crime scene photos showing the corpses of English backpackers Hannah Witheridge and David Miller have surfaced online, traumatising their families. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. [30] Thailand's National Human Rights Commission said "the circumstances surrounding the arrest of the two Myanmar workers were dubious, leading to impressions the suspects were not aware of their rights and that justice had not been done". [71], A lawyer for the men, Nakhon Chomphuchat, said "we will appeal as soon as we can, we have just got a copy of the court's verdict. Administratively it is a subdistrict (tambon) of Ko Pha-ngan District (amphoe) of Surat Thani Province. But they were skeptical and he was fit and healthy at the time of his death. The Backpacker Murders of Koh Tao. [83] A 2016 study said the case, which it described as a litmus test of Thailand's justice system, "seriously damaged the image of Thailand and of its forces of law and order on the global level". [20] Both bodies were found semi-naked;[21] a pile of clothes was found nearby. [36] Footage near the crime scene also showed one of the three men running into a shortcut. Prosecutors alleged that the double murder of Paul and Maggie was part of an effort by Murdaugh to gain sympathy and distract others from his significant financial crimes. She said: "I would tell them to do everything in their power to stop them going. [1][96], Although tourist arrivals to Koh Tao dropped in the months immediately following the murders, there was little lasting effect on tourism to the island.[92]. This story was huge at the time in the UK as they were both British. [2] In 2014, the island had a population of around 5,000 locals. ISBN: 9780062802910. Grace Beahm Alford/The Post and Courier/Pool Grace Beahm Alford/The Post and Courier/Pool Diagram of crime scene. Koh Tao, Thailand, Serial killers, Unexplained murders WARNING CONTAINS SOME DISTURBING IMAGES OF DEATH The island of Koh Tao, off the coast of Thailand, is often described as a paradise. [4][11][14] Their bodies were discovered on Sairee Beach a few hours later, between 4 and 5am, by a mute Burmese beach cleaner. The items were still there are 3 am and he called the police. Nick's mother Tracy Pearson, told Derby and South Derbyshire Coroner's Court in the U.K., she had "a gut feeling there was foul play". Had he hanged himself, the professor pointed out that the bruises should have appeared on the neck than on his wrists. The police quickly closed the inquiry, stating that he had drowned whilst swimming. In January 2014, 25-year-old Nick Pearson was found dead in the sea below a cliff while visiting the island. They said Wai Phyo found the mobile phone dropped on the beach, and so he kept it. A millionaire hotel tycoon and his wife have been found dead in a luxury resort on Koh Tao, colloquially known as Death Island. The governor of the island said he had instructed the district chief to file criminal charges against the local online news outlet Samui Times in 2017 after it ran an article that questioned the police account of deaths and referred to Koh Tao as Death Island. "We'll go with the flow as much as we can. Christina, from Orpington, South East London, died shortly after arriving on Koh Tao. [51] This decision was criticised by the Solicitors International Human Rights Group, one of the observers at the trial. We'll be dignified for David. Deaths have been explained away by the authorities as unfortunate accidents or suicides. There were no signs he was suicidal. Pool photo, 0130 exhibit 29 [72] The Supreme Court of Thailand upheld the sentence in August 2019, stating that the police handled the case correctly and the forensic evidence was "clear, credible, and detailed". . Witnesses said items belonging to the Moldovan were seen in the early hours of Tuesday morning and police were alerted. We use your sign-up to provide content in the ways you've consented to and improve our understanding of you. Thai police said a post-mortem examination showed he drowned. The family of some of the deceased - including three more Brits - have accused local cops of not investigating the deaths of their loved ones. The Davidson County Sheriff's Office has released photos of the Corbett home taken the night Jason Corbett was bludgeoned to death in his bedroom. DNA was collected from these three areas and sent to a police forensics lab for analysis. However, no toxicology report was conducted. 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