Sancho, a chef with his own YouTube channel, was also sentenced to pay 4 million baht
The son of a well-known Spanish actor has been sentenced to life in prison for killing and dismembering a man on the Thai island of Koh Phangan last year. Daniel Sancho Bronchalo, the son of television star Rodolfo Sancho Aguirre, claimed he acted in self-defense when he killed Colombian plastic surgeon Edwin Arrieta Arteaga. He pleaded guilty to murder in August 2023. BBC reported.
Sancho, now 30, told Spanish news agency EFE at the time that he had been a “hostage” of Arrieta, who he said was obsessed with him. The case attracted widespread attention in Spain, and many journalists traveled to Thailand to cover the trial.
Sancho was found guilty of premeditated murder, concealing a corpse and criminal damage.
A court on the nearby island of Koh Samui, where the trial took place, initially sentenced him to death for murder. However, due to his cooperation during the trial, this sentence was reduced to life imprisonment.
Sancho, a chef with his own YouTube channel, was also ordered to pay 4 million baht ($118,000) in compensation to Arrieta's family. Bussakorn Kaewleeled, the lawyer for the victim's family, said he was satisfied with the verdict.
“The plaintiff is satisfied with the verdict as he (Sancho) will be sentenced to life in prison and they (the plaintiff) will receive financial compensation,” Bussakorn told reporters outside the court in Koh Samui, AFP news agency reported.
In early August last year, police found parts of Arrieta's body in a landfill in Koh Phangan.
Around this time, Sancho reported to the police that Arrieta, then 44, was missing. After further questioning, Sancho confessed to the murder.
Thai media reported that investigations revealed that Sancho had purchased a knife, rubber gloves and a bottle of cleaning fluid, leading police to conclude that it was a premeditated murder.
Sancho later led police to seven locations on the island where he disposed of Arrieta's dismembered body in plastic bags.
Sancho and Arrieta reportedly arranged to meet after meeting online.
The defense argued that Sancho acted in self-defense when Arrieta tried to force him to have sexual intercourse. In a statement published in Spanish newspaper El Mundo, Sancho said the plastic surgeon “tried to rape her.” [him].”
Sancho comes from a family of actors; his mother is the actress Silvia Bronchalo and his grandfather was the late actor Felix Angel Sancho Gracia.
