Spanish YouTube chef found guilty of gruesome murder, dismemberment in Thailand
At his trial on the island of Samui, Sancho had claimed he got into a fight with Arrieta for allegedly trying to sexually assault him. He said that Arrieta fell as they scuffled and hit his head on a bathtub, losing consciousness and then dying.
Daniel Sancho Bronchalo, a Spanish YouTube chef and member of a renowned acting family, was sentenced to life in prison on Thursday after being found guilty of premeditated murder for the brutal killing and dismemberment of a Colombian surgeon on a Thai island.
Sancho, 30, was accused of murdering 44-year-old Edwin Arrieta Arteaga in August of last year. The two men had been vacationing on the island of Koh Pha-ngan, famous for its "Full Moon" beach parties that attract international revelers. According to the Spanish newspaper El País, Sancho allegedly told police that he and Arrieta had met on Instagram a year earlier and had developed a romantic relationship.
During his trial on the island of Samui, Sancho claimed that a fight broke out between him and Arrieta after Arrieta allegedly attempted to sexually assault him. Sancho stated that during the struggle, Arrieta fell, hit his head on a bathtub, and lost consciousness before dying. He pleaded not guilty to the charges of premeditated murder.
However, Sancho admitted to dismembering Arrieta's body and disposing of the remains on both land and sea.
The case came to public attention when trash collectors discovered a sawed-off pelvis and intestines, weighing about five kilograms, inside a fertilizer sack at a garbage dump, as reported by the Bangkok Post.
Shortly after the discovery, Sancho reported Arrieta missing, leading police to investigate and eventually detain him based on evidence linking the two men.
According to police, Sancho confessed to the murder, stating that he had planned to kill Arrieta, who he claimed was his lover, because Arrieta had threatened to reveal their alleged sexual relationship, which could have brought shame to Sancho's family. Sancho, through his father and lawyers, denied having a sexual relationship with Arrieta and argued that the police account was a distorted version of his statements.
Surveillance footage obtained by police showed Sancho allegedly purchasing a knife, rubber gloves, garbage bags, and cleaning supplies at a convenience store prior to Arrieta’s death, which prosecutors used to support the charge of premeditated murder.
The case garnered significant attention due to Sancho's famous lineage, with his father, Rodolfo Sancho Aguirre, being a well-known actor in Spain.
The Koh Samui provincial court initially sentenced Sancho to death, but this was commuted to life imprisonment due to his cooperation during the trial, according to police.
In his closing statement, as reported by El País, Sancho expressed remorse, saying, "I am sorry that a life has been lost and that parents have lost a son. I am sorry that his family was not able to bury him properly. I’m sorry for what I did after the death."
In addition to the life sentence, the court ordered Sancho to pay over four million baht, approximately C$160,000, to Arrieta’s family.
