Thai Court Jails Spanish Actor’s Son for Life in Gruesome Murder Case
A Thai court has sentenced Daniel Sancho Bronchalo, the 30-year-old son of a famous Spanish actor, to life in prison for the premeditated murder of a Colombian plastic surgeon on the tourist island of Koh Phangan. The gruesome case has gripped Spain, where the defendant’s father, Rodolfo Sancho, is a well-known actor.
According to reports, Sancho was found guilty of chopping up the victim’s body and putting the parts in plastic bags before distributing them around the island. The trial heard that Sancho claimed he killed the victim, 44-year-old Edwin Arrieta Arteaga, in self-defence, and admitted hiding the body, but denied destroying the Colombian’s passport.
The defence argued that Sancho acted in legitimate self-defence after Arrieta tried to force him to have sex. However, the prosecution presented evidence that Sancho had bought knives, plastic bags, and cleaning supplies ahead of the crime and kept them in the room where the killing took place.
The victim’s family had requested a sentence of life imprisonment, and the court has delivered just that. "Let him be left in Thailand so he can take time, all the time that God gives him to live, to think about what he did," said Darling Arrieta, the victim’s sister, in an HBO documentary about the case.
Sancho’s father, Rodolfo Sancho, had previously stated that Arrieta had threatened his son, and that there was a fight, resulting in the accident. However, the prosecution disputed this claim, saying that Sancho was living a "false reality".
The case has generated enormous interest in Spain, with scores of Spanish reporters flying in for the trial. The verdict has been met with relief from the victim’s family, who are satisfied with the sentence. "The plaintiff is satisfied with the sentence because he will be put in prison for life and they receive some financial compensation," said Bussakorn Kaewleeled, a lawyer for the victim’s family.
While Thailand still has the death penalty for some crimes, including premeditated murder, it rarely carries out executions – the last being in 2018.
