The Spanish chef and influencer Daniel Sancho, son of actor Rodolfo Sancho, was sentenced this Thursday in Thailand to life imprisonment for the brutal murder and dismemberment of his lover, surgeon Edwin Arrieta. The sentence, issued by a Koh Samui court, acknowledged the premeditated nature of the crime that occurred in August 2023. Meanwhile, the defendant’s legal team announced plans to appeal the verdict.
The judge at the Samui Provincial Court in southern Thailand explained that the sentence was reduced from death to life imprisonment due to the accused’s cooperation. Daniel Sancho was found guilty of premeditated murder, dismemberment, concealment of the corpse, theft of the passport, and destruction of public documents belonging to the 45-year-old Colombian doctor, Edwin Arrieta. These crimes took place on August 2, 2023, on the tourist island of Koh Pha-ngan.
The Koh Samui Provincial Court confirmed the sentence in a statement, noting that Sancho, 30, is required to pay 4.4 million baht (approximately $130,173) in compensation to Arrieta’s family, along with an annual interest rate of 5%.
Authoritarians don’t like this.
The practice of professional and critical journalism is a fundamental pillar of democracy. That is why it bothers those who believe they are the owners of the truth.
Struggle over “sex and money” leads to a heinous crime in paradise: the case of the Spanish chef who dismembered a Colombian.
However, lawyers Marcos García-Montes and Carmen Balfagón, representing Sancho’s family, stated after leaving the court that they would appeal the sentence. “It will be appealed, for sure, without a doubt,” García-Montes said.
Payment of compensation is a condition without exception that must be met for Sancho to request a transfer to Spain. This transfer is only possible after he has served at least eight years of his sentence in Thailand, at which point the necessary procedures for the transfer agreement would need to be initiated, as there is no bilateral extradition agreement between Spain and Thailand.
García-Montes added that “The president (of the court) has stated that (Sancho) is not a convicted prisoner but a preventive prisoner, as he has the right to appeals.” The two lawyers did not provide further details regarding the appeal, as they mentioned they had not yet received the full ruling, which may take several days to be released.
Both the defense and the prosecution have one month to file their appeals. The defense may request an extension of up to four months and plans to appeal to the Supreme Court if necessary. The entire appeals process could take up to a year.
Arrieta’s lawyers, along with those close to him, welcomed the ruling, stating, “It was a fair sentence.” “He will have to pay; we know that an appeal is forthcoming, but there is no justification for that appeal,” assured EFE, Victoria Jattin, a childhood friend of Arrieta, after the announcement of the sentence.
Daniel Sancho, arrested in Thailand, faces new accusations of violence: “He is aggressive, arrogant, and racist.”
The accused is the son of Spanish actor Rodolfo Sancho, known for his roles in successful television series, and is the grandson of actor Felix Angel Sancho Gracia. His mother, Silvia Bronchalo, is also an actress in Spain. Both parents, aged 49, were present at the court hearing on Thursday.
“Let’s keep fighting,” his father told the media as he left the courtroom, where the sentence was read, in camera, with Daniel Sancho, 30, present.
Daniel Sancho. Daniel Sancho admitted to dismembering the victim to conceal the body.
The brutality of the murder and the manner in which Daniel Sancho disposed of Arrieta’s body caused widespread shock. Arrieta’s body was discovered dismembered, with some parts left in a refrigerator in the room where Sancho was staying.
During the trial, the defendant recounted that the crime occurred during a violent dispute where the doctor was struck three times on the head against a sink in the bungalow they shared. He claimed that the stab wound on the doctor’s face was inflicted post-mortem. “The knife I used to dismember the body was not sharp enough. I lost my temper and stabbed him in the face,” he stated, according to a document accessed by the site 20 Minutes.
Moreover, he could not recall exactly how many pieces the body was divided into: “I don’t remember how many pieces, maybe 17 or 20, packed into about eight or nine bags. But I couldn’t remember what part was in each bag,” he emphasized. “At that moment, I was unable to control myself. I was scared, confused, filled with so many emotions… I couldn’t control myself,” he explained during the trial.
Daniel Sancho’s family responds to Thai police’s request for the death penalty.
During the trial, it was established that the surgeon’s remains were kept in plastic bags that Sancho discarded throughout various locations on the island, both on land and in water.
Additively, another lawyer for the victim’s family, Juan Gonzalo Ospina, stated that the trial demonstrated that Sancho had purchased knives, plastic bags, and cleaning supplies prior to the crime and had kept them in the room where the murder occurred.
The case gained public attention when garbage collectors discovered a pelvis and severed intestines, weighing about 5 kilograms, inside a sack of fertilizer at a landfill, according to the Bangkok Post. Shortly afterward, Sancho reported Arrieta missing to the police, leading investigators to gather evidence that linked the two men, resulting in Sancho’s arrest and questioning.
Police presented a narrative claiming that Sancho had confessed to the murder, alleging that he had planned it because Arrieta threatened to dishonor him and his family by exposing their alleged sexual relationship. However, Sancho, through his father and lawyers, denied this account, asserting that he did not have a sexual relationship with Arrieta and described the statements as a distortion of what he actually communicated to the police.
For now, the Spaniard will remain imprisoned in Koh Samui while Thailand’s prison department decides where he will serve his sentence, stated the lawyer for Arrieta’s family.
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El Impactante Caso de Daniel Sancho: Asesinato y Desmembramiento en Tailandia
El chef e influencer español Daniel Sancho, hijo del conocido actor Rodolfo Sancho, fue condenado a vida el pasado jueves en Tailandia por el brutal asesinato y desmembramiento de su amante, el cirujano Edwin Arrieta. Esta sentencia fue emitida por un tribunal de Koh Samui, que reconoció el crimen premeditado ocurrido en agosto de 2023. La defensa de Sancho ha anunciado su intención de apelar la decisión.
Detalles del Caso
El juzgado de la provincia de Koh Samui explicó que la condena fue reducida de muerte a vida por la cooperación del acusado. Sancho, de 30 años, fue hallado culpable de asesinato premeditado, desmembramiento, ocultación de cadáver, y robo del pasaporte y destrucción de documentos públicos del médico colombiano de 45 años, Edwin Arrieta. Los hechos se produjeron el 2 de agosto de 2023 en la isla turística de Koh Pha-ngan.
| Cargo | Descripción |
|---|---|
| Asesinato Premeditado | El asesinato se planeó con antelación, lo que incrementa la severidad del cargo. |
| Desmembramiento | Sancho admitió haber desmembrado el cuerpo de Arrieta para ocultarlo. |
| Robo y Destrucción de Documentos | Incluye el robo del pasaporte de Arrieta y la destrucción de documentos públicos. |
El tribunal confirmó que Sancho deberá pagar 4.4 millones de baht (130,173 dólares) en compensación a la familia de Arrieta junto con un 5% de interés anual. Esta compensación es un requisito fundamental para que Sancho pueda solicitar una transferencia a España después de cumplir al menos ocho años de su condena, dado que no existe un acuerdo bilateral de extradición entre España y Tailandia.
El Proceso Judicial
Los abogados Marcos García-Montes y Carmen Balfagón, que representan a la familia Sancho, anunciaron que “se apelará la sentencia, sin lugar a dudas”. Asimismo, el juez indicó que Sancho no debe ser tratado como un prisionero convicto, dado que todavía tiene derecho a apelar. Tanto la defensa como la fiscalía tienen un mes para presentar sus apelaciones, y la defensa puede solicitar una extensión de hasta cuatro meses. El proceso podría tardar un año.
Los abogados de la familia Arrieta expresaron que la sentencia fue justa, comentando: “Él deberá pagar; sabemos que se avecina una apelación, pero no existe justificación para ello”, afirmó Victoria Jattin, amiga de la infancia de Arrieta.
Contexto Familiar de Daniel Sancho
Daniel Sancho es hijo del actor español Rodolfo Sancho, conocido por sus exitosas apariciones en series de televisión. Su madre, Silvia Bronchalo, también es actriz. Ambos padres, que tienen 49 años, estuvieron presentes en la audiencia judicial.
Rodolfo Sancho declaró a los medios al salir de la corte: “Sigamos luchando”.
Confesiones del Acusado y Revelaciones del Juicio
Durante el juicio, Sancho admitió que desmembró el cuerpo de Arrieta para esconderlo, causando gran consternación. El médico fue encontrado desmembrado, con partes de su cuerpo guardadas en un refrigerador. Sancho relató que el crimen ocurrió durante una disputa acalorada, donde golpeó a Arrieta en tres ocasiones contra un lavabo. Asimismo, afirmó que la herida de cuchillo en el rostro de Arrieta fue infligida tras su muerte.
Detalles sobre el Desmembramiento
El acusado no pudo especificar cuántas partes constituyeron el cuerpo: “No recuerdo cuántas partes, tal vez 17 o 20, empaquetadas en unas ocho o nueve bolsas”. En todo momento, enfatizó su estado emocional en el momento del crimen: “No pude controlarme”.
Las partes del cuerpo fueron enterradas en distintos lugares de la isla, tanto en tierra como en el agua. Además, se comprobó que Sancho había comprado cuchillos y materiales de limpieza antes del asesinato, lo que sugiere un premeditación clara.
Reacciones y Consecuencias
Este caso atrajo la atención internacional después de que se encontraran restos humanos en un vertedero de la isla. Los recolectores de basura hallaron una pelvis y intestinos severados, lo que llevó a la policía a investigar y posteriormente arrestar a Sancho. Aunque inicialmente él reportó a Arrieta como desaparecido, las evidencias lo implicaron rápidamente en el crimen.
La defensa ha rechazado la versión de que Arrieta amenazó con hacer pública su supuesta relación sexual, argumentando que dicha afirmación es una distorsión de lo que Sancho comunicó a la policía.
Situación Actual de Daniel Sancho
Por el momento, se ha determinado que Sancho permanecerá en prisión en Koh Samui mientras las autoridades deciden el lugar en el que cumplirá su condena. La situación ha conmocionado tanto a la sociedad española como a la colombiana, dada la naturaleza violenta y macabra del crimen.
