Seven pieces. That is how much of the dismembered body investigators had recovered by the time the suspect appeared in a Thai court on Monday, according to police on the island of Koh Phangan.
The suspect is Daniel Sancho Bronchalo, a 29-year-old chef with a YouTube channel and the son of Spanish actors Rodolfo Sancho and Silvia Bronchalo. He is accused of murdering Edwin Arrieta Arteaga, a 44-year-old Colombian surgeon. DNA tests were under way to confirm that the remains were Arrieta’s.
Local media reported last week that body parts had been found around Koh Phangan, an island known for its full moon parties and psychedelic retreats. Sancho first reported a missing person, Thai police said. Over the weekend he confessed.
Police account of the killing
Police captain Sucheep Chadakarn told NBC News that Sancho described a fight with Arrieta last Wednesday. Sancho had asked to end the relationship, he said, because he was about to marry someone else in Indonesia. “He said that if the talk wasn’t successful, he thought he had to kill him because he had the partner waiting to get married,” Chadakarn said.
As Chadakarn relayed it, Arrieta threatened to cause trouble, and Sancho punched him. Arrieta bit his hand. Sancho then hit his head over and over until he died.
On Saturday, Chadakarn said, Sancho admitted cutting the body into 15 pieces and led police to where he had left them, including spots near a pier and a hotel. Some had gone into the sea and others into garbage pits. Four body parts washed ashore, and soiled clothes were found last week. Sancho also told police he bought a kayak after its owner had refused to rent it to him that night.
His own words
Sancho spoke to Spain’s EFE news agency and denied a romantic relationship with Arrieta, even as he admitted the crime. “I am guilty, but I was Edwin’s hostage,” EFE quoted him as saying. “It was a glass cage, but it was a cage.” A family lawyer who visited him told EFE, “I think he is relaxed. He knows what he did.”
Murder carries a possible death penalty in Thailand. Police asked the court to keep Sancho in detention while they gather more evidence for trial, and he is held at the Samui prison on Koh Samui. Thai police also worked with immigration officials to cancel his visa.
Embassy and family
Spain’s Foreign Affairs Ministry said it could not disclose personal details of the accused because of data protection rules. It did say the embassy in Bangkok is “in permanent contact” with Sancho, his family and local authorities, and that he is getting consular assistance. Colombia’s Foreign Ministry thanked Thai police on Sunday and sent condolences to the victim’s family.
Sancho’s uncle, Felix Sancho, spoke to journalists in Spain, according to The Associated Press. “A little respect for the family is all we ask for,” he said, “because this is so painful.”
Sources
Sources
- Thailand: Spanish actor's son jailed for murdering surgeon – BBC
- Spanish actors' son arrested in grisly Thailand murder – NBC News
