A Thai court jailed a famous Spanish actor’s son for life on Thursday for the grisly murder of a Colombian plastic surgeon on a tropical holiday island in a case that has gripped Spain.
The case has generated enormous interest in Spain because the defendant’s father, Rodolfo Sancho, is a well-known actor, and scores of Spanish reporters flew in for the trial.
Bussakorn Kaewleeled, a lawyer for the victim’s family, said the family members were happy with the outcome.
The trial had testimony that Sancho chopped up Arrieta’s body and put the parts in plastic bags before distributing them around Koh Phangan.
Sancho led police to seven sites where he allegedly disposed of the victim’s dismembered body in plastic bags, CBS News partner network BBC News reported.
Arrieta’s family said before the verdict that they favored a sentence of life imprisonment.
Disputed versions of events Sancho and Arrieta agreed to meet in person after getting to know each other online.
“He tried to rape me, and we fought,” Sancho said in a statement quoted by the Spanish daily El Mundo.
Sancho testified that Arrieta fell as they fought and hit his head on a bathtub, lost consciousness and died, the AP reported.
Another lawyer for the victim’s family, Juan Gonzalo Ospina, said in a recent interview with El Mundo that Sancho was living a “false reality.”
On Thursday, a Thai court sentenced the son of a well-known Spanish actor to life in prison for the heinous murder of a Colombian plastic surgeon on a tropical vacation island—a case that has shocked Spain.
A 30-year-old chef named Daniel Sancho Bronchalo, who runs a YouTube channel, was found guilty last August of killing Edwin Arrieta Arteaga on the popular island of Koh Phangan with premeditation.
Because the defendant’s father, Rodolfo Sancho, is a well-known actor, the case has attracted a great deal of interest in Spain, and numerous Spanish reporters traveled there to cover the trial.
Both parents attended the sentencing, according to The Associated Press, and Silvia Bronchalo, Sancho’s mother, has also been acting. Both parents are 49 years old.
The victim’s family was pleased with the resolution, according to Bussakorn Kaewleeled, the victim’s attorney.
Outside the courthouse on the island of Koh Samui, Bussakorn told reporters, “The plaintiff is satisfied with the sentence because he will be put in prison for life and they receive some financial compensation.”.
According to Thai law, both parties have the right to appeal the verdict, Bussakorn continued.
She said, “He is sad, but we can’t forget the loss of the dead one,” in response to a question about Sancho’s response. “.”.
Due to Sancho’s cooperation during the trial, the court commuted his initial death sentence to life in prison, according to the AP, which quoted Police Col. The hearing was attended by Paisan Sangthep, the deputy commander of the Surat Thani Provincial Police.
Horrible specifics of Arrieta’s demise.
Sancho acknowledged hiding Arrieta’s body after killing her in self-defense, but he denied destroying the 44-year-old Colombian woman’s passport.
Sancho dismembered Arrieta’s body, put the pieces in plastic bags, and then scattered them around Koh Phangan, according to testimony given during the trial.
Sancho reportedly took police to seven locations where he disposed of the victim’s severed body in plastic bags, according to a report from CBS News partner network BBC News.
Thailand rarely executes people—the last one happened in 2018—even though the country still has the death penalty for a few crimes, including premeditated murder.
The family of Arrieta expressed their preference for a life sentence prior to the verdict.
“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,” the victim’s sister Darling Arrieta stated in an HBO documentary about the case.
He broke up a family in addition to dismembering my brother. “. .
Conflicting accounts of the events.
After getting to know one another online, Sancho and Arrieta decided to meet up in person.
“There was a fight, and in this fight, there was an accident,” stated Sancho’s father in the same HBO documentary, following Arrieta’s threat against his son. “.”.
The defense contended that Sancho had acted in self-defense when Arrieta attempted to coerce him into having sex.
In a statement cited by the Spanish daily El Mundo, Sancho said, “He tried to rape me, and we fought.”.
According to Sancho’s testimony, Arrieta lost consciousness and passed away after falling during their altercation and hitting his head on a bathtub, as reported by the AP.
Juan Gonzalo Ospina, another attorney representing the victim’s family, claimed in a recent interview with El Mundo that Sancho was experiencing a “false reality.”. “.
According to Ospina, the evidence presented during the trial in April demonstrated that Sancho had purchased cleaning supplies, plastic bags, and knives prior to the murder and had them stored in the room where the murder occurred.
