Bangkok: On Thursday, a court in Thailand sentenced Daniel Sancho Bronchalo, part of a renowned Spanish acting family, to life imprisonment after finding him guilty of premeditated murder in a gruesome case where the victim was dismembered.
Initially, the Koh Samui Provincial Court issued a death sentence for Sancho, but it was reduced to life in prison due to his cooperation during the trial. “The court issued an initial sentence of death for Sancho but commuted it to life imprisonment due to his cooperation during the trial,” stated Police Col. Paisan Sangthep, deputy commander of the Surat Thani Provincial Police, who attended the hearing, as reported by The Associated Press.
The 30-year-old chef, who also runs a YouTube channel, was charged with the murder of Edwin Arrieta Arteaga, a 44-year-old Colombian plastic surgeon. The incident occurred in August last year while the two were vacationing on the Thai holiday island of Koh Pha-ngan.
Sancho, the son of prominent Spanish actor Rodolfo Sancho Aguirre and actress Silvia Bronchalo, both 49 years old, had his parents present at Thursday’s court session. During the trial held on the island of Samui, Sancho claimed that a fight ensued after Arrieta allegedly tried to sexually assault him. According to Sancho, Arrieta fell during the scuffle, hitting his head on a bathtub, losing consciousness, and subsequently dying.
Sancho had pleaded not guilty to the premeditated murder charges. However, he did admit to dismembering the victim’s body and disposing of the remains on land and at sea. For the charge of concealing or damaging a body, he received a four-month prison sentence, which was reduced to two months for acknowledging the act, as noted by Paisan.
Additionally, Sancho was charged with destroying the victim’s passport, for which he received a two-year prison sentence. He had pleaded not guilty to this charge as well.
The case garnered significant attention in Spanish media due to its sensational elements — the violent death on a holiday island, the celebrity connections, and the gruesome details. HBO even produced a Spanish-language documentary on the events.
