Kim Long Rim faces court charged with murdering Thea Kheav at a 2007 house party

The man accused of murdering a 21-year-old man at a 2007 house party before allegedly fleeing the country has faced a South Australian court for the first time.

The man accused of murdering a 21-year-old man at a 2007 house party before allegedly fleeing the country for Cambodia has faced a South Australian court for the first time.

Still wearing the grey tracksuit he wore when Victoria Police arrested him upon his arrival from Bangkok on Saturday morning, Kim Long Rim, 36, appeared briefly in the Adelaide Magistrates Court on Monday charged with the murder of Thea Kheav, 21, at a Parafield Gardens house party in 2007.

The court heard that due to the time elapsed since Mr Kheav’s murder, police would require several months to gather evidence and locate witnesses who were called in the 2011 trial.

Detectives lead Kim Long Rim through Adelaide Airport after he was extradited from Melbourne on Saturday over the 2007 murder of Thea Kheav. Picture: Riley Walter

“Major Crime have said that they need some time (before Mr Rim’s next court appearance), due to it being a reasonably old matter. They need to go through it, and there are officers involved in the original investigation that have since retired. Others need time to get their heads around what occurred,” a police prosecutor said.

“There needs to be checks on witnesses to see if they’re still around too.”

Mr Kheav was murdered at an 18th birthday party in Parafield Gardens on December 1, 2007 after an incident involving his brother and another group at the event.

The group left the party, but later returned and fatally stabbed Mr Kheav.

Chansyna Duong, Tuan Kiet David Huynh and Rotha Sem were in 2011 sentenced to life imprisonment with a non-parole period of 20 years over the death.

All three lodged appeals, which were later dismissed, in the High Court.

Thea Kheav, 21, was murdered at a house party in 2007. Picture: Supplied

Mr Rim was identified as a suspect in the murder six months after Mr Kheav’s death, by which time police allege he had fled to Cambodia.

In 2008, he was arrested in Cambodia but released three months later after the Cambodian Supreme Court rejected detectives’ application to have him extradited to SA.

Mr Rim made no application for bail, but held a peace sign to the courtroom during his brief hearing.

He was remanded in custody until September.

Outside court, Mr Rim’s family declined to comment on why he returned to Australia after 17 years.