Case 220
Hannah Witheridge & David Miller
*** Content Warning: sexual assault ***
When the bodies of British tourists 23-year-old Hannah Witheridge and 24-year-old David Miller were found brutally murdered on the remote Thai island of Koh Tao, the police immediately concluded that the killer had to be a foreigner, as a Thai person couldn’t be capable of such brutality.
Migrants Wai Phyo and Zaw Lin eventually confessed to the crime after DNA allegedly linked them to the scene, but could the evidence be trusted? As accusations of police corruption and local mafia cover-ups took hold, more suspicious deaths emerged that would earn Koh Tao the undesirable moniker of ‘Death Island.’
CREDITS
EPISODE:
Research & writing – Elsha McGill
Creative direction – Milly Raso
Narration – Anonymous Host
MUSIC:
‘Flatline intro’ and ‘Come play with me’ intro and outro – www.dl-sounds.com
Audio production – Mike Migas
Scoring – Mike Migas and Andrew Joslyn
OTHER:
Logo and website design – Paulina Szymanska
PREMIUM
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RESOURCES
COURT DOCUMENTS
Koh Samui Provincial Court No. 2040 / 2557
BOOKS
The Curse of Turtle Island: The true story of Thailand’s Backpacker Murders – Suzanne Buchanan
VIDEOS
Murder in Paradise: The Murder of Hannah Witheridge and David Miller
Backpacker’s terror after ‘Thai mafia death threat’
CCTV footage of murdered tourists released
Two Burmese arrested in Koh Tao murder case
Chilling Koh Tao attack by masked men at the same spot where Hannah & David murdered
Koh Tao Murder Death Island – Ian Yarwood’s YouTube channel
ONLINE ARTICLES
The mother of British backpacker Hannah Witheridge begged her not to go to Thailand – News.com.au
Thailand murders: British brothers questioned – BBC News
Thailand beach murders: Poignant picture shows smiling David Miller on boat during fateful holiday – The Mirror
Forensic reports into British murders in Thailand leaked to local media – Sydney Morning Herald
Thai police eye bisexual link in tourist double murder – New York Post
Thai motorbike gang mugged British women night before backpacker couple were murdered on Koh Tao island – The Telegraph
Thailand’s paradise island murder mystery – BBC News
Thailand: Murder in the Land of Smiles – The Diplomat
Thailand beach murders: families pay tribute to British tourists – The Guardian
Thailand murders: two British brothers questioned – The Guardian
Thailand backpacker murders: David Miller and Hannah Witheridge – two lives cut short – The Guardian
‘This is how we killed them’ – The Daily Mail
Concerns over trial of Burmese men charged with murder of UK tourists – The Guardian
National Crime Agency Helped Get Two Men Sentenced To Death In Thailand – BuzzFeed News
Thailand backpfacker murders: Victim’s father weeps at photos – BBC News
Universal doubt clouds ‘perfect’ Koh Tao murder investigation – Coconuts Bangkok
Koh Tao defence: Suspects must be acquitted – Bangkok Post
Thailand murders: Two men found guilty and face death for UK killings – BBC News
Outcry over death penalties upheld for Koh Tao murders – Foundation for Education and Development
This Septic Isle: Backpackers, Bloodshed and the Secretive World of Koh Tao – Time
Family’s Agonising Search for Information into Son’s Thailand Death – Chiang Rai Times
Nick Pearson Thailand death: Mum believes son was murdered – BBC News
Thailand beach death: Parents convinced son murdered – and his killing covered up to protect tourism – The Mirror
Brits ambushed by masked men on Death Island beach where UK tourists were killed – The Mirror
Thai paradise gains reputation as ‘Death Island’ – New York Times
‘Murder Island’ combed for German cult leader – Bangkok Times
Thailand: Drop cases for online reporting on alleged rape – Human Rights Watch
We want the truth: Our kids all died on Koh Tao ‘death island’ – The Sun
Injustice echoes from all sides two years after Koh Tao murders – Khasod English
OTHER
Contesting narratives: the Koh Tao Murders – Erik Cohen for Asian Anthropology
The psychology of a rapist – DW
Help support our beautiful Hannah – GoFundMe