YouTube chef guilty of murdering and dismembering plastic surgeon on Thai island
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A YouTube chef from a prominent Spanish acting family has narrowly avoided the death penalty Thailand for killing and dismembering a 40-year-old man on a holiday island.
Daniel Sancho Bronchalo was found guilty on Thursday for the murder of Edwin Arrieta Arteaga, a 44-year-old plastic surgeon from Colombia, in a case which has captivated Spanish media.
The 30-year-old chef, who ran a YouTube cooking channel, is also the son of well-known Spanish actor Rodolfo Sancho Aguirre and Silvia Bronchalo, also an actor.
Sancho and Arrieta were on holiday together on the Thai island of Koh Pha-ngan, a popular spot with travellers for its full moon beach parties and all-night raves.
Both of Sancho's parents flew to Thailand to attend the sentencing at Koh Samui provincial court.
During the trial, Sancho claimed Arrieta attempted to sexually assault him, sparking a fight between the pair. He said Arrieta fell during the scuffle and died after hitting his head on a bathtub.
Sancho had pleaded not guilty to charges of premeditated murder, a charge he was later found guilty of.
He admitted to dismembering Arrieta's body, and disposing of the parts in several places on land and at sea. His confession led to his four month sentence for concealing a body to be reduced by half.
Despite pleading not guilty to destroying Arrieta's passport, he received a further two-year prison term for the destruction of a person's documents.
The case came to light when waste collectors found what the Bangkok Post newspaper described as a sawed-off pelvis and intestines in a fertiliser sack at a rubbish dump.
Shortly after that, Sancho reported to police that Arrieta was missing, and police then gathered evidence linking the two men.
Police obtained surveillance video showing Sancho allegedly purchasing a knife, rubber gloves, bin bags and cleaning solutions at a convenience store before Arrieta's death.
According to the police's narrative, Sancho had confessed to the murder, saying he had planned it because Arrieta threatened to disgrace him and his family by revealing their alleged sexual relationship.
Sancho, through his father and his lawyers, said that was a distorted version of what he told police, and denied having a sexual relationship with Arrieta.
The lurid details of a case which saw the son of celebrities commit violent murder at tropical holiday destination have gripped Sancho's home nation of Spain.
Television and streaming network HBO have produced a Spanish-language documentary on the case.
In his closing statement earlier in his trial, Sancho told the court he regretted his actions, the Spanish newspaper El País reported.
“I am sorry that a life has been lost and that parents have lost a son,” he said.
“I am sorry that his family was not able to bury him properly. I’m sorry for what I did after the death.”
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