The Sam Van Treeck Murder Case: Five Years On

[Buchholz]

I stumbled upon this case and after a search found this image.

Does anyone know who the woman is with Van Treeck?

And have there been any updates?

She is Jeab Compoonuch Kobram (23)/Chompoonut Koyram (different spellings) , a diving instructor; she was the one that was allegedly murdered by Sam van Treeck; she was slaugthered in their appartment in Pattaya with 48 stabbings with a knife.

Van Treeck, according to newspaper reports, claimed to be innocent since he was on a tour during the murder (Van Treeck was a travel guide); Police didn't follow up on his evidence he claimed to have in the form of people who could prove he wasn't at the crime scene at all. The Police didn't phone these people or asked them to come to testify at the police station.

His lawyers were under immense pressure to have him plead "guilty"; the girl died during a heavy fight with hair of her attacker in her hands and Van Treeck pointed this fact to the Police but the hair (in her hands) was never examined on DNA traces.

Later he was released on a bail of €uro 75.000.00* or some Baht 3.1 Million after which he fled back to Belgium.

* in other Belgian news papers they mention "just" €uro 30K (Baht 1.3 Million)

If I'm incorrect, someone please correct me.

AFAIK, the latest update is that Van Treeck is walking free in Belgium and no longer a "threat" to "public safety" in Belgium. This since earlier this year.

According to Belgian law, Van Treeck cannot and will not be extradited to Thailand.

LaoPo

It wasn't "their" apartment that she was murdered in. It was his apartment. They had broken up 3 years prior.

Sam Van Treeck has a wife from Laos.

http://www.straight.com/article/man-seeks-answers-in-murder-of-fianca-e

In December 2009, Van Treeck's imprisonment in Belgium was extended for 3 months. He began his detention there in June 2009

http://www.hln.be/hln/nl/957/Belgie/article/detail/1048390/2009/12/31/Van-Treeck-vrijgelaten-in-moordzaak-op-Thaise-vriendin.dhtml

That's not the murder victim, Chompoonut Koyram, in the picture.

That is Sam Van Treeck and his Lao wife (unnamed) and their son (unnamed).

http://www.7sur7.be/7s7/fr/1502/Belgique/article/detail/915408/2009/07/03/Un-Anversois-sous-mandat-d-arret-pour-l-assassinat-d-une-thailandaise.dhtml

This is the murder victim and her daughter:

[LaoPo]

^^^^

Thank you for the corrections.

I'm happy someone read my sentence: "If I'm incorrect, someone please correct me."

It's always delicate if information is posted not correctly, especially in murder cases.

LaoPo

[Bagwan]

How is it that first world law enforcement agencies bring charges and gain convictions against paedophiles operating in this part of the world yet in this case cannot put a brutal murderer behind bars. Can kiddy fiddling cross borders but murder cannot? If so, Mr. Bumble was correct in his judgment. 

Advice to interested parties which may well not include RTP. Gather all available evidence, translate into German, French and Dutch and send it to the Belgian Director of Prosecutions. 

[Beetlejuice]

There are too many if`s and what`s to ths story and much of the reading doesn`t make sense or have any logic to it.

5 years after this murder, there still seems to be total confusion regarding the facts to this case. I wouldn`t want to assume anything at this time and if the reportings continue on in this manner, we won`t be any the wiser in the next 5 years either.

NEXT.

[LaoPo]

How is it that first world law enforcement agencies bring charges and gain convictions against paedophiles operating in this part of the world yet in this case cannot put a brutal murderer behind bars. Can kiddy fiddling cross borders but murder cannot? If so, Mr. Bumble was correct in his judgment.

Advice to interested parties which may well not include RTP. Gather all available evidence, translate into German, French and Dutch and send it to the Belgian Director of Prosecutions.

Are you sitting in the chair of the Judge and convicted Van Treeck already ?

BTW: He was in jail in Belgium already for this case and he was released as explained before.

AFAIK there was no evidence* to put Van Treeck behind bars in Thailand for the reminder time and IF he was indeed not guilty and the Police didn't take any DNA samples which would have set him free, he had no chance at all and left him no other option other than to run.

I wouldn't bet a single Baht in this case.

* I read in another report that there were not 48 stabbings, found on the poor victim's body but an unbelievable 140 stabbings during the fight with her murderer.

I don't know if this is true but there seem to be many circumstances that are unclear and if a sloppy Police investigation ruined Van Treeck's case what would you do ?

If I would be arrested in Thailand in a case like this and I was innocent.... didn't do it, and would be released on bail....I would run also.

In Van Treeck's case we don't know if he did it or not and we will probably never know also.

LaoPo

Edited October 24, 2010 by LaoPo

[LaoPo]

In Van Treeck's case we don't know if he did it or not and we will probably never know also.

LaoPo

After I wrote the message above I found this:

"Additional information:

- Chompoonut "Jeab" Kobram, 23, was the fiancee of Vancouver-born computer programmer, Noah Meyer, 33

- Jeab was found dead with 48 stab wounds and several slashes to her throat

- She had been on holidays and was visiting her former boyfriend, Belgian national Sam VanTreeck, 24

- Evidence indicates that she had been coming out of the shower of VanTreek's condo when she was attacked

- Police evidence includes:

* a time-stamped closed-circuit security tape establishing that Van Treeck was in the building

* a hand-written love letter begging her to stay with him

* his admission that they'd fought the day she died

- The police had also held a witness in protective custody

Van Treeck was arrested June 27, spent 17 days in jail, and was released on bail. He was formally charged with murder Sept. 21, pled innocent on Oct.4, then violated a court order to stay in Thailand for trial by escaping to Belgium, Oct. 5. The Thai attorney general is initiating extradition proceedings. Belgium is refusing to send him back because Thailand has death penalty.

Jeab is survived by her 3-year-old daughter, Cherie. The toddler is now living with her grandparents -- poor rice farmers in Burirum."

FROM:

http://rrrart.blogsp...01_archive.html

But, this is a (co)-blog-post from the -legal- husband, Canadian Noah Meyer of the murdered woman, Jeab and I still have many questions since the content of this blog is not official evidence as far as I know since nobody from the forum probably read the official fials.

QUESTIONS:

* Why was this girl, after some years going back to her former boyfriend in Pattaya whilst she was legally married and living together with her husband and 3-year old daughter Cherie in Phuket?

it says: "She had been on holidays and was visiting her former boyfriend, Belgian national Sam VanTreeck, 24 " but WHY did she go back to him, being married to the Canadian ?

Just because: "a hand-written love letter begging her to stay with him" ???

* WHY was she staying with this former boyfriend Van Treeck in his condo in Pattaya??.... since she came out of the shower in his condo

* The Police evidence is however quite clear saying that there are "time-stamped closed-circuit security tape establishing that Van Treeck was in the building"

* And, what is this supposed to mean: "The police had also held a witness in protective custody" ?? WHO was that and why didn't we read anything anymore about this witness and why would a witness be put in protective custody ?

* IF the police had so much evidence why on earth did they release him on bail ?

Many questions no answers.

LaoPo

Edited October 24, 2010 by LaoPo

[LaoPo]

A news article from 2004:

http://www.cdnn.info/industry/i040928/i040928.html

The article says that the room on the 18th floor of the Jomtien Complex Condotel was "ransacked".

Would Van Treeck have ransacked his own room after he murdered her ? To make it look like a robbery murder ?

If she was stabbed 48 or 140 times he must have been completely covered with blood, all over his clothes, hands, arms, face, shoes (nikes/slippers...?) and body and it depends how much later after the murder he was arrested but could he have showered and changed clothes without leaving any footprints in the room/appt. ?

LaoPo

[Buchholz]

Meyer is not the father of the victim's daughter. After she broke up with Van Treeck, she married another man before Meyer and he is the father. The victim went to see Van Treeck because he asked that of her. She didn't consider him a threat at the time and there was no indication of any hanky panky going on between them.

The viciousness of the attack and the number of stab wounds strongly indicates someone very angry with her. That level of anger typically only occurs when someone has had a relationship with the victim and feels extremely wronged.

Robberies or random murders very rarely involve that level of viciousness and brutality.

[hughben]

^So, who is the father of the baby?

Surely he was interviewed?

And if the police in Thailand have a DNA profile (from the hair), surely the police in Belgium have SVT's as he was in prison.

They could now check if there is a DNA match.

Edited October 25, 2010 by hughben

[tartempion]

To all you naysayers about Thai justice he was accorded the same rights as a Thai, allowed bail on a serious charge. He could confess and recieve life in prison.

In any case, rotting away in an overcrowded 100 year old Belgian prison is better than rotting away in a Thai prison

Marc Dutroux the child raper/killer rots away in luxury.

They should cut his balls off and feed him bread and water.

Edited October 25, 2010 by tartempion

[LaoPo]

Meyer is not the father of the victim's daughter. After she broke up with Van Treeck, she married another man before Meyer and he is the father. The victim went to see Van Treeck because he asked that of her. She didn't consider him a threat at the time and there was no indication of any hanky panky going on between them.

The viciousness of the attack and the number of stab wounds strongly indicates someone very angry with her. That level of anger typically only occurs when someone has had a relationship with the victim and feels extremely wronged.

Robberies or random murders very rarely involve that level of viciousness and brutality.

That's one of the stories in the reporting. It's also reported that Meyer and Jeab were both the parents of the girl.

And, if she left Van Treeck 3 years earlier and married someone else how come the girl was 3 years old when her mother Jeab was murdered?

Next to that:

* she left Van Treeck 3 years earlier (at the time of the murder)

* her daughter was 3 years old at the time of the murder

* she had a relationship with Noah Meyer, the Canadian, and living in Nai Harn/Phuket for already 18 months

* what about her marriage with the assumed father of her child? When did she leave him for Meyer ? And where was the father at the time of the murder....WHO was he ?

* Did Jeab stay in Pattaya/Jomtien after she left Van Treeck ?

* After all, it is reported that she married another man; was he Thai, Farang...? Was that in Pattaya ?

* Is it possible that this man was close in Jomtien/Pattaya during the murder?

* Noah Meyer says in some report that he was -legally- married with Jeab..was that a Thai Amphur marriage ?

* Even if Van Treeck asked her to come and see him in Pattaya or live with him again, why did she go in the first place? Pattaya isn't exactly on the way -back- to Phuket, after being on a trip (assumed family visit in Isaan ?)

* Wher did she leave the 3 year old girl? why wasn't the girl with her on her trip ?

* How do you know she didn't see Van Treeck as a threat; that sounds like you assume and know he murdered her?

* how do you know that Van Treeck and Jeab didn't have any hanky panky between them when she stayed in his room ?

* If the murdered girl Jeab had 3 serious relationships with 3 men in 3 years what to think ? I know it's not forbidden but surely she was not exactly behaving to good morals in the serious relation dream by her Canadian partner, Noah Meyer.

* Did Meyer know about her visit to Van Treeck ?

All in all a strange case and still no answers about Van Treeck's clothes in the case he murdered her.

I know, a lot of questions but no answers.

Note: your remark about "The viciousness of the attack..." is correct on itself but a pure speculation for the rest where it concerns the relationship.

My biggest question is:

IF the police says they have so much evidence in the form of time-stamped closed-circuit tape saying that he was in the building the day of the murder...WHY on earth did they release him on bail ?

Surely, he could have been in the condotel that day since he lived on the 18th floor but was he there at the time of the murder and in the room, which was ransacked ?

If he murdered her, did he ransack his own room, in clothes full of blood ?

Even if he changed clothes and ransacked the room (with blood all over the place) why didn't he run away from Thailand straight away to the border or airport but stayed in Pattaya/Jomtien ?

All theoretical questions of course.

LaoPo

Edited October 25, 2010 by LaoPo

[jaidifarang]

Disturbing how justice plays out...Joran Van der Sloot murders a blonde American and the world turns it's attention to a murdered Peruvian and justice is served.

Van Treeck murdered Jaeb and got away with it...when will the world take note of senseless crimes like these.

I'm still outraged...Jaeb was truelly an extraordinary individual; she embodied the Thai spirit of compassion and loving kindness...and Noah is one of the most gentle and kind individuals you'll ever meet...

This story of a murdering Belgium man living free should be picked up by main stream western media...maybe justice will prevail???

As for you Sam: you will have to look over your shoulder for the rest of your life...prison would be much more safe for you...there are many who would be glad to serve justice at the end of a blade in your back...if not in this life then in the next.

[OzMick]

Yes it was a gruesome violent murder. Yes, the circumstantial evidence looks compelling. However, does anyone believe this person would receive a fair trial in Thailand? Look at it another way: If the Belgians had confidence in the judicial system, do you think the Belgian government would have so easily aided and abetted this alleged murderer? Until there is a fair trial we do not know if the accused is guilty. There are other means to ensure justice and that includes bringing the charges in Belgium. The Belgians have a history of charging other nationals with "crimes", even though the acts did not occur on Belgian soil. Nothing stops the Thai government from bringing civil charges in Belgium and seeking compensation.

The Thais may not wish to remove the death penalty from the criminal action because it is their only way of inducing a guilty plea. If there was a strong case, the Thais would have said ok, no death penalty and then put Belgium in a corner and said, now hand over slasherboy. The Belgian government reeks of hypocrisy and a double standard.

Your excellency, your second paragraph states that Thailand will not forego the death penalty in hopes of coercing a confession in an otherwise weak case, but if they did the Belgians would be morally impelled to extradite. How does that justify an accusation of "hypocrisy and a double standard" on the Belgians? Wouldn't that accusation be more applicable to the Thai government? Would critism of the thai government endanger your climed exalted position here?