The British woman who has been charged with stabbing her partner to death with a 20-inch hunting knife at their luxury villa in Thailand has been named and pictured for the first time.
Thai police believe Isabelle Violet Carreras, 20, ‘was responsible for the killing’ of Thomas David Powell, who was found dead with stab wounds at the plush villa in the party resort of Pattaya.
The 33-year-old UK businessman’s body was discovered on Thursday morning after a friend became concerned when he could not reach Mr Powell on the phone.
The friend rushed to the luxury estate in the Bang Lamung district and recorded the moment he found the horrifying bloody scene at the villa on video, with Mr Powell’s dead body lying in the shower and the house in disarray.
He called the police, and footage shows officers confronting Carreras – a UK firefighter – over Mr Powell’s corpse, but she professed innocence and claimed that he had taken his own life.
She showed cops the huge hunting knife in a bloody sink before she was arrested. Her partner’s body appeared to have been moved and arranged to lie in the shower with a pillow under his head.
After claiming Mr Powell’s death was a suicide, Carreras added that he was ‘really into grass recently’ and that he ‘had been taking six strips of Valium daily’.
Investigators believe that the businessman had been dead for around six hours before being discovered and said that evidence at the scene contradicted Carreras’ claims.
Isabelle Violet Carreras, 20, (pictured) has been charged with the alleged murder of Thomas David Powell, 33, a UK businessman who owned a large cannabis farm in Thailand
Carreras showed police who attended the scene the massive 20 inch hunting knife believed to have been used in the alleged murder. It was wiped clean which investigators called an ‘attempt to conceal evidence’ by Carreras
They found cuts on her fingers as well as blood stains and signs of a struggle throughout the luxury property. The hunting knife found in the sink had allegedly been washed and wiped clean.
Mr Powell – who ran a large cannabis farm in Soi Bang Lamung 14 – also had two stab wounds in his back, as well as three to his torso and one in his left hand.
Police Colonel Nattapon Phongsuksakul, superintendent of the Nongprue district station, said: ‘Based on the evidence gathered so far, investigators believe Ms Isabelle Violet Carreras was responsible for the killing.
‘She has now been formally charged with murder, but she continues to deny the allegation during questioning.
‘The investigation is still ongoing. We are still awaiting the full autopsy report, forensic examination results and DNA analysis before finalising the case file.’
He added: ‘There is evidence that cannabis was consumed, and we believe it is possible that cannabis intoxication contributed to the suspect’s actions.’
Police believe the alleged murder happened shortly after 4am but that no one was notified until 9.30am when Carreras called a friend back in England.
Colonel Phongsuksakul previously said: ‘It appears the wife did not know who to call, so she made a WhatsApp call to a friend in England, saying that a murder had occurred and that her boyfriend was dead inside the house.
‘The friend then contacted another friend, who lives in Thailand, and asked him to check the house. Instead of calling a doctor or the police from around 4.30 am, when his life might still have been saved, she chose not to do so.’
The couple was initially believed to have been married, but Colonel Phongsuksakul has now said that this could not yet be confirmed.
The police chief said that a motive for the alleged killing is as yet unclear because ‘the suspect has declined to provide any information’, and that officers are now reviewing CCTV which was recording inside the home to determine what really happened.
Carreras is a firefighter back in the UK at Rising Brook firestation in Stafford
Thomas David Powel (passport pictured) was found dead in the shower of the luxury property. He had been stabbed twice in the back, three times in the torso and once in his left hand
His body was found by a friend who had rushed over after not being able to contact him. It appears to have been arranged in the shower with a pillow under his head. Blood stains and signs of a struggle were found throughout the house
Carreras has been in police custody since Thursday and denies all charges against her. Police say she has not provided any information about a potential motive
Investigators believe that cannabis was consumed at the scene and that ‘it is possible that cannabis intoxication contributed to the suspect’s actions’
He noted that ‘neighbours have told reporters they frequently heard the couple arguing’, though these claims have not been verified by police.
The couple had been staying at the villa for just seven days before Mr Powell was found dead, and police are currently investigating if they had been in the country beforehand.
One neighbour of the villa reported hearing loud barking the night before Mr Powell’s alleged killing. At around 2am, a courier arrived to deliver dog food, but no one answered the door, raising suspicions.
Colonel Phongsuksakul said previously that Carreras had ‘denied committing the murder. However, based on the wounds, it is difficult for us to accept that claim because there was clearly a stab wound to the back.’
The officer continued: ‘We firmly believe this was not a suicide as she claimed. What makes us doubt her account further is that she washed the knife.
‘The weapon used was a knife, and washing it suggests an attempt to conceal evidence. There is also CCTV footage from inside the house.’
Investigators believe that the alleged murder happened in another room to where Mr Powell’s body was found in the shower and that he had been dragged there.
Colonel Phongsuksakul said that he does not intend to interview the person in the UK who Carreras called at 9.30am on the morning of Mr Powell’s death.
He previously said: ‘We cannot yet confirm whether she was intoxicated by cannabis at the time of the incident, but it is confirmed that cannabis had been smoked.
‘There is evidence at the scene and a strong smell of cannabis throughout the house. We are treating this as a murder case, not self-defence.’
Thailand decriminalised marijuana in 2022, making it the first Asian nation to do so.
However, the lack of regulations caused a surge in unregulated sales and use, especially in tourist areas like Bangkok, Phuket, and Pattaya, alongside reports linking the drug to violence and public disorder.
Government officials are now seeking to outlaw recreational cannabis use by requiring medical certificates to purchase the drug.
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