The son of a prominent Spanish actor has been sentenced to life in prison for the murder and dismemberment of a man on the southern Thai island of Koh Phangan last year.
Daniel Sancho Bronchalo, whose father is television star Rodolfo Sancho Aguirre, claimed he killed Colombian plastic surgeon Edwin Arrieta Arteaga in self-defense. He pleaded guilty to the crime in August 2023.
Sancho, now 30, told Spanish news agency EFE that he had been a “hostage” to Arrieta, who he alleged was fixated on him.
The case has attracted significant attention in Spain, with numerous Spanish reporters traveling to Thailand for the trial.
Sancho was convicted of premeditated murder, corpse concealment, and property destruction.
Initially sentenced to death by a court on the nearby island of Koh Samui, his sentence was later reduced to life imprisonment in consideration of his cooperation during the trial.
In addition to his prison term, Sancho, a chef with a YouTube channel, was ordered to pay 4 million baht ($118,000; £89,000) in damages to Arrieta’s family. Bussakorn Kaewleeled, a lawyer for the victim’s family, stated they were content with the verdict.
“The plaintiff is satisfied with the sentence because he (Sancho) will be put in prison for life and they (the plaintiff) receive some financial compensation,” Bussakorn told reporters outside the court on the island of Koh Samui, AFP news agency reported.
Police discovered parts of Edwin Arrieta’s body at a landfill in Koh Phangan in early August of last year. Around the same period, Daniel Sancho Bronchalo reported Arrieta, then 44, as missing.
Upon further questioning, Sancho confessed to killing Arrieta. Thai media reported that investigations revealed Sancho had purchased items such as a knife, rubber gloves, and a cleaning agent, suggesting the murder was premeditated.
Sancho later guided police to seven locations on the island where he had disposed of Arrieta’s dismembered body in plastic bags.
It was reported that Sancho and Arrieta had arranged to meet after connecting online.
The defense argued that Sancho acted in self-defense, claiming Arrieta attempted to force him into a sexual encounter. Sancho stated that the plastic surgeon “tried to rape [him],” according to a statement published by Spanish newspaper El Mundo.
Sancho comes from a family of actors; his mother is actress Silvia Bronchalo, and his grandfather was the late actor Félix Ángel Sancho Gracia.