Daniel Sancho, 32, son of Spanish television star Rodolfo Sancho, loses his appeal against life in prison for killing and dismembering surgeon Edwin Arrieta on Koh Phangan. Judges reject his fight story and point to cutting tools bought before the murder.
Spanish chef Daniel Sancho Bronchalo has lost his appeal against life imprisonment for the coldly planned murder and dismemberment of Colombian surgeon Edwin Arrieta Arteaga on Koh Phangan. Thai appeal judges pointed to knives, a hacksaw, rubbish bags, gloves and cleaning equipment bought before the killing. Afterwards, Arrieta’s body was cut apart, dumped in rubbish and thrown into the sea near Salad Beach. Sancho, son of Spanish television star Rodolfo Sancho, insisted the 44-year-old died accidentally during a violent fight. However, the court rejected his story, highlighted conflicting accounts and upheld the premeditated murder conviction. His original death sentence was reduced to life because of his cooperation.
Thailand’s Court of Appeal Region 8 has upheld the life sentence of 32-year-old Spanish chef Daniel Sancho Bronchalo for a grisly Koh Phangan murder. Sancho murdered Colombian plastic surgeon Edwin Arrieta Arteaga, 44, on the holiday island in August 2023.
He then dismembered the doctor and disposed of his remains in rubbish and the sea. Crucially, appeal judges confirmed that the killing was premeditated. They rejected Sancho’s account that Arrieta died accidentally during a violent confrontation.
The ruling was read at Koh Samui Provincial Court in Surat Thani on Friday, September 25. Sancho followed proceedings by video link from Surat Thani Prison. His Thai lawyer Aphichat Srinuel and translator Alice Keartjareanlap attended the closed hearing. Meanwhile, Metapon Suwancharen and Nattha Jongratwanin represented Arrieta’s family. The hearing began at 10 am and lasted about two hours.
Sancho bought cutting tools and cleaning equipment before taking Arrieta to his Koh Phangan villa
At the centre of the ruling was evidence gathered before Arrieta even reached Sancho’s accommodation. Sancho had purchased knives, a hacksaw, a cleaver, rubbish bags, rubber gloves and cleaning equipment. He then stored them inside accommodation he had booked at Bokean Villa. Notably, prosecutors said the equipment later matched the tasks required after Arrieta’s death. Those included dismembering his body, bagging the remains and cleaning the room.
Sancho had arrived in Thailand on July 31, 2023. He and Arrieta first connected through Instagram during 2022. Subsequently, they met several times in Spain. The two men arranged to meet on Koh Phangan on August 2, 2023. Arrieta had booked accommodation at Panviman Resort. However, Sancho collected him after he reached the island. He then took Arrieta to Bokean Villa instead of the Colombian’s booked resort.
That decision became an important part of the prosecution case. By then, the cutting and cleaning equipment was already stored at Sancho’s accommodation. Furthermore, rubbish bags and gloves were available for handling body parts. The court found that combination incompatible with Sancho’s account of an unexpected fatal fight. Instead, judges concluded that he had prepared the location and equipment beforehand.
Sancho presented a very different version during his trial. He said Arrieta requested sexual intercourse and threatened to expose secrets if he refused. According to Sancho, Arrieta then attempted to strangle him. A fight followed. Sancho said Arrieta bit his arm and attempted to bite his neck. He claimed he pushed Arrieta during the struggle. Arrieta then fell onto him and struck his head against a sink.
Appeal judges reject Sancho’s account after finding key conflicts with his original police statement
Yet appeal judges identified a significant conflict with Sancho’s original statement to investigators. In that account, Sancho said Arrieta dragged him and bit his arm. Sancho then lifted the doctor and slammed him against the sink’s edge. According to the statement, he continued until Arrieta lost consciousness. Importantly, the court gave particular weight to that earlier version. Judges found there had been less opportunity then to fabricate different facts.
Sancho’s actions immediately afterwards also featured heavily in the judgment. He did not summon an ambulance or take Arrieta to hospital. Nor did he seek help from hotel employees. Instead, Sancho remained inside the room for approximately one hour. He then began cutting apart the Colombian surgeon’s body. Contemporary police accounts said the dismemberment process lasted about three hours.
Afterwards, Sancho cleaned the accommodation and began disposing of the remains. According to the court account, Arrieta’s head, hands and arms went into the sea. Sancho dumped those remains near Salad Beach. Separately, other body parts were packed into bags and entered Koh Phangan’s municipal rubbish system. The disposal operation therefore spread Arrieta’s remains between land and sea.
The first major discovery came on August 3, 2023. Human remains were found at a rubbish dump on Koh Phangan. Among the remains were parts of the pelvis and intestines. Other contemporary accounts identified hips and thighs among body parts recovered during the investigation. In response, police launched searches around the island and retraced Sancho’s movements. Investigators also examined CCTV footage, recovered cutting equipment and gathered forensic evidence.
Police find body parts across Koh Phangan as Sancho denies planning the murder and passport offence
Police ultimately concluded that Sancho acted alone. In parallel, investigators examined what happened to Arrieta’s passport. Sancho admitted concealing, moving or destroying the corpse, or parts of it, to conceal the death. However, he denied premeditated murder. He also denied damaging, destroying, removing or rendering the Colombian’s passport useless.
The prosecution case nevertheless rested heavily on the advance preparations. Sancho had secured the room before Arrieta arrived. He had also bought cutting tools and equipment for handling the remains. Additionally, cleaning products were available for removing blood and other evidence. Sancho then collected Arrieta and brought him directly to that location. Taken together, judges found those circumstances established planning rather than a spontaneous killing.
The original trial took place at Koh Samui Provincial Court between April 9 and May 2, 2024. On August 29, the court delivered its judgment. Sancho was convicted of premeditated murder, which carries the death penalty under Thai law. The trial court initially imposed that punishment. However, judges reduced it by one-third to life imprisonment because Sancho’s statements had assisted the proceedings.
The court also dealt with compensation sought by Arrieta’s parents. They had joined the prosecution as co-plaintiffs and requested ฿30 million. Instead, the court ordered Sancho to pay them ฿4.424 million. Once life imprisonment was imposed, further prison terms could not increase the principal punishment.
Appeal court backs life sentence after both sides challenge the original Koh Samui murder judgment
Both sides subsequently challenged the judgment. Arrieta’s family lodged its appeal in late 2024. Sancho’s defence followed in March 2025 with a document reportedly running to almost 400 pages. His lawyers sought another hearing or a retrial with additional witnesses. They maintained that Arrieta died accidentally during a fight. The family, by contrast, challenged the sentencing reduction and sought a harsher outcome.
The appeal judges accepted that nobody else witnessed the confrontation inside the room. Nevertheless, Sancho had admitted causing Arrieta’s death and provided information during the investigation. His statements were considered useful to the proceedings. That cooperation supported the original reduction from death to life imprisonment.
At the same time, the appellate court rejected Sancho’s attempt to overturn the premeditated-murder finding. The advance purchases were central to that decision. His conflicting accounts of the confrontation also weighed against his defence. Likewise, judges considered his failure to seek medical assistance after Arrieta was critically injured. His subsequent dismemberment and concealment of the body provided further evidence.
The court therefore upheld the original judgment. It maintained Sancho’s life sentence and the ฿4.424 million compensation award. It also found no need for the additional evidence requested by Sancho’s defence. Accordingly, his attempt to secure another hearing or repeat the trial failed.
Prominent Spanish acting family fuels attention as Thai courts focus on Sancho’s actions and evidence
The case has attracted intense attention in Spain because of Sancho’s prominent family. His father is Spanish television and film actor Rodolfo Sancho Aguirre. His credits include El Ministerio del Tiempo, Isabel and Hospital Central. Daniel Sancho’s grandfather was also a prominent actor. Félix Ángel Sancho Gracia was professionally known as Sancho Gracia.
Sancho’s mother, Silvia Bronchalo, has been described in Spanish reporting as an investment analyst. His father later participated in an HBO documentary concerning the case. Spanish media have also reported substantial resources being devoted to Sancho’s defence. Consequently, the Koh Phangan prosecution became a major story in Spain soon after his arrest.
The Thai judicial findings, however, turned on a detailed chain of actions surrounding Arrieta’s death. Sancho obtained cutting and cleaning equipment before the surgeon arrived. He brought Arrieta to his own accommodation instead of Panviman Resort. Following the fatal confrontation, he sought no medical assistance. Instead, he remained inside the room and later dismembered the doctor.
The disposal operation then moved beyond Bokean Villa. Some remains went into municipal rubbish, where human body parts appeared the following day. Other remains were taken to Salad Beach and thrown into the sea. Meanwhile, Sancho cleaned the room and took steps to conceal Arrieta’s death. Police subsequently recovered evidence and traced his movements across Koh Phangan.
Supreme Court appeal remains possible as Sancho stays in prison under upheld life murder sentence
Nearly three years later, two levels of Thailand’s courts have reached the same central finding. Arrieta’s death was not accepted as an accidental consequence of a fight. Rather, judges found Sancho prepared for the killing and intended to kill the Colombian surgeon.
The September 25 judgment does not necessarily end Sancho’s legal battle. Thailand has a three-tier court system, leaving a possible appeal to the Supreme Court. Aphichat Srinuel has said the defence will examine the written appellate judgment before deciding its next move. Until that happens, Sancho remains at Surat Thani Prison under his life sentence.
Spaniard told police that his Colombian victim was blackmailing him over their homosexual affair
Spaniard highly likely to be handed down a death sentence for cruel, planned and callous murder
A final Supreme Court judgment could also become important for any future transfer request. Spain and Thailand have maintained a bilateral sentence-enforcement agreement since 1983. However, any such process requires the criminal judgment to become final. Thai rules also impose minimum imprisonment requirements before certain life prisoners can seek a transfer.
For now, the latest ruling leaves the central case intact. Daniel Sancho Bronchalo remains convicted of premeditated murder. Edwin Arrieta Arteaga was killed, dismembered and disposed of across Koh Phangan on August 2, 2023. The appeal court has now rejected Sancho’s attempt to reopen the case and maintained his life sentence.
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