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A Thai court is set to pass judgement this Thursday on the son of Spanish actor Rodolfo Sancho, Daniel Sancho Bronchalo, for the murder and dismemberment of a Colombian plastic surgeon, Edwin Arrieta Arteaga, whom he encountered online. The 30-year-old chef, who also runs a YouTube channel, has attracted significant media attention from Spain, with numerous reporters attending the trial.
The trial, which took place on the nearby tourist island of Koh Samui, known for its vibrant rave culture and picturesque beaches, charged Sancho with premeditated murder, concealing a corpse, and tampering with documents. The incident occurred last year on the island of Koh Pha Ngan.
Sancho has contested the charge of premeditated murder but has admitted to killing Arrieta, claiming it was in self-defense. He acknowledged hiding the body but denied disposing of Arrieta’s passport. The two had planned to meet after connecting online.
During the trial, it was revealed that Sancho placed parts of Arrieta’s body in plastic bags and scattered them around Koh Pha Ngan. He subsequently led police to seven locations where he had hidden the dismembered body parts.
Despite the severity of his actions, which could warrant the death penalty, Arrieta’s family has expressed a preference for Sancho to receive a life sentence. “Let him be left in Thailand so he can take time, all the time that God gives him, to think about what he did,” stated Darling Arrieta, the victim’s sister, during an HBO documentary on the case. She described the impact of the crime as not only taking her brother’s life but also tearing apart their family.
In the same documentary, Sancho’s father revealed that Arrieta had previously threatened his son, leading to a confrontation that ended tragically. According to IMDb, Rodolfo Sancho is notable for his numerous roles in film and television, including “El Ministerio del Tiempo.”
The defense argued that Sancho acted in self-defense after Arrieta attempted to sexually assault him. Sancho, describing the ordeal to EFE, a Spanish news agency, claimed he felt like a “hostage” to an obsessive Arrieta. “He tried to rape me, and we fought,” Sancho stated, as reported by El Mundo.
However, Juan Gonzalo Ospina, representing the victim’s family, argued that Sancho is trapped in a “false reality” of denial about his responsibility for the crime. Ospina praised the Thai police for their diligent reconstruction of the crime scene and for quickly identifying Sancho as the perpetrator when he reported Arrieta missing in an attempt to concoct an alibi.
Further evidence discussed at the trial included Sancho’s purchases of knives, plastic bags, and cleaning supplies prior to the crime, which were found in the same room where the murder occurred. Sancho admitted during the trial that after striking Arrieta, the latter went into convulsions before Sancho ultimately “finished him off.”
A lawyer for Sancho’s family, Carmen Balfagon, expressed optimism during an interview with the Spanish program Cronica, citing the trial’s demonstration of no premeditation in the killing.
Koh Pha Ngan, where the murder took place, is famous for its stunning beaches and attracts numerous tourists to its lively full moon parties. This case brings to mind a previous incident in 2014 on Koh Tao, another tourist island, where two young British backpackers were murdered, leading to life sentences for two Burmese nationals amid controversial accusations by rights groups of a manipulated trial.