Daniel Sancho sentenced to life in prison for murder in Thailand

This article was originally published in Spanish

The Koh Samui Provincial Court in southern Thailand on Thursday sentenced Daniel Sancho Bronchalo, son of famous Spanish actor Rodolfo Sancho, to life in prison for killing and dismembering Colombian surgeon Edwin Arrieta on August 2, 2023.

The 30-year-old chef, who has been held in a Thai prison since his arrest, has admitted the facts but always denied having premeditated the murder.

The verdict and its implications

Contrary to the expectations of the defense, who had hoped for a sentence not exceeding 8 years, The Court has opted for life imprisonment and the payment of €119,000 to the family of Edwin Arrieta.

Daniel Sancho narrowly escaped the death penalty, a sentence provided for under Thai law in extremely serious cases.

During the trial, the defense argued that the surgeon's death was the result of an accident, admitting only to the crimes of dismemberment and concealment of the body.

For its part, the Thai prosecution maintained that the meeting between Daniel Sancho and Edwin Arrieta in Thailand had the primary aim of ending the life of the Colombian doctor.

A highly publicized case

The elements of the case have received considerable coverage in the Spanish media.

Shortly after the suspect's arrest in August 2023, Thai police told reporters that Daniel Sancho had confessed to the murder and that he had planned it because Edwin Arrieta threatened to “dishonor“, him and his family, by revealing their alleged sexual relationship.

The Spanish chef, through his father and his lawyers, has retorted that this was a distorted version of what he had told police and denied having a sexual relationship with Edwin Arrieta.

Police later obtained surveillance video showing Daniel Sancho purchasing a knife, rubber gloves, trash bags and cleaning supplies at a store before meeting the victim, which prosecutors said bolstered the first-degree murder charge.

In his indictment during the trial, Daniel Sancho told the court he regretted his actions.

“I am sorry that a life was lost and that parents lost a son.”he said. “I'm sorry his family couldn't bury him properly. I'm sorry for what I did after he died.”.