The son of Spanish film stars has been arrested in Thailand on suspicion of murdering and dismembering a Colombian surgeon on a tourist island, police said.
Daniel Sancho Bronchalo was taken from Koh Phagnan, where the remains of Edwin Arrieta Arteaga were found, to another island, Samui, where he is being held, Surat Thani provincial police commander Saranyu Chamnanrat said Tuesday.
Sancho, a chef with a YouTube channel, has been charged with premeditated murder, which carries a possible death penalty, and with concealment of a body to cover up the death, Saranyu said.
Daniel Sancho Bronchalo is escorted while assisting Thai police with investigations after he was arrested on charges of murder in the death and dismemberment of his Colombian travelling companion Edwin Arrieta Arteaga on the tourist island of Koh Phangan, Thailand August 7, 2023.STRINGER / REUTERS
Details of the killing emerged last week when Thai media reported that plastic bags containing body parts of a man, were found at a landfill on Koh Phagnan, an island famous for its monthly “full moon parties.”
Police said Sancho came in to report a missing person after the body parts were found and was subsequently detained. He later confessed to killing and dismembering Arrieta and then dumping the body parts in the landfill and the sea, although he denied that it was premeditated, police said. His arrest warrant was issued by the Koh Samui Provincial Court on Saturday.
“He admitted it,” Koh Pha Ngan’s police chief Panya Niratimanon, told AFP, adding the investigation is ongoing.
“The victim and the suspect knew each other before they came to Thailand, and his dubious activities indicate that he might murder the victim.” Panya added.
Saranyu declined to elaborate when asked about the motive, but said it was likely due to a personal relationship between the suspect and the victim. Thai media have cited police as saying that Sancho, who came to Thailand for a holiday, told the authorities that the two had a romantic relationship and that he tried to break up with the victim but the victim refused.
Sancho told Spanish news agency EFE he had been a “hostage” to the victim, who was obsessed with him. BBC News reported.
Security camera video broadcast by Thai media reportedly taken a day before the body parts were found showed Sancho and Arrieta on a motorbike together.
On Sunday, Sancho led police to seven sites, where he allegedly disposed of the victim’s dismembered body in plastic bags, BBC News reported.
Daniel Sancho Bronchalo assists Thai police with an investigation after he was arrested on charges of murder in the death and dismemberment of his Colombian traveling companion Edwin Arrieta Arteaga on the tourist island of Koh Phangan, Thailand August 6, 2023. DAILYNEWS VIA REUTERS
Regional police chief Surapong Thanomchit told public broadcaster Thai PBS that Sancho was seen buying a knife, garbage bags and cleaning solutions before Arrieta’s death.
Media reports say Sancho is the son of Rodolfo Sancho, who starred in “El Ministerio del Tiempo” (“The Ministry of Time”), and actor Silvia Bronchalo. Sancho’s uncle, Felix Sancho, told journalists in Spain that, “A little respect for the family is all we ask for, because this is so painful.”
The family also released a statement on Sunday asking for “maximum respect, both for Daniel Sancho himself and for the whole family, in these delicate moments of maximum confusion,” Reuters reported.
The Spanish Embassy in Bangkok said it was aware of a crime involving a Spanish man but declined to give further information because of data protection legislation.
Colombia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs posted a statement on its website Sunday thanking the Thai police for their investigation and said it is providing assistance to the family of the victim.
Thailand is a relatively safe country where violent crimes are rare.
Koh Pha Ngan is famed for white sandy beaches and draws thousands of backpackers to its notoriously wild “full moon” parties.
In 2014, another tourist island Koh Tao was rocked by the double murder of two young British backpackers.
Two Burmese nationals are serving sentences of life imprisonment for the murders, but rights groups have accused Thai authorities of using the men as scapegoats.
