Alex Trelinski
A COURT in Thailand on Thursday found Daniel Sancho, a member of a famous Spanish acting family, guilty of murder and sentenced him to life in prison.
The Koh Samui provincial court issued an initial sentence of death for Sancho but commuted it to life imprisonment due to his co-operation during the trial.
Sancho, a 30-year-old chef with a YouTube channel, was charged with killing Edwin Arrieta, a 44-year-old plastic surgeon from Colombia.
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He will also have to pay €105,000 in compensation to Arrieta’s family.
They were both on holiday on the Thai holiday island of Koh Pha-ngan in August last year.
The island is famous for its monthly Full Moon beach parties, attracting travellers from around the world for all-night raves.
Daniel Sancho’s parents attended Thursday’s sentencing hearing which lasted 11 hours.
His father is actor Rodolfo Sancho while his mother, Silvia Bronchalo, has also worked as an actor.
At his trial on the island of Samui, Daniel Sancho 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 dying.
He had pleaded not guilty to charges of premeditated murder.
Sancho acknowledged dismembering the victim’s body and disposing of the parts on land and at sea.
The crime came to light when rubbish collectors found a sawn-off pelvis and intestines in a fertiliser bag sack at a garbage dump.
Shortly after that, Sancho reported to police that Arrieta was missing, and authorities then gathered evidence linking the two men that led them to detain and interrogate him.
In his closing statement earlier in the trial, Sancho told the court he regretted his actions.
“I am sorry that a life has been lost and that parents have lost a son,” Sancho said.
“I am sorry that his family was not able to bury him properly. I’m sorry for what I did after the death.”
