Written by Somkiat Raxaman and Panarat Thepjompanat
SAMUI ISLAND, Thailand (Reuters) – A Thai court on Thursday sentenced the son of Spanish actor Rodolfo Sancho to life in prison for the murder and dismemberment of a Colombian man last year on the popular tourist island of Koh Phangan.
Daniel Sancho Bronchallo, 30, was found guilty of the premeditated murder of Edwin Arrieta Arteaga, 44, whose body he dismembered and hid, a statement from the criminal court on the neighbouring island of Samui said.
Daniel Sancho is the son of Rodolfo Sancho, who starred in the series “Ministry of Time”, and actress Silvia Brunchalo. He pleaded guilty to concealing the victim’s body, but denied committing premeditated murder, the court said.
Throughout the trial, Sancho has insisted that he killed Arteaga, a plastic surgeon, in August 2023 in self-defense, according to Thai media reports. His lawyer declined to comment when contacted by Reuters on Thursday.
Local media reported that Sancho was working as a chef on holiday in Thailand at the time of the incident.
He dismembered the victim’s body, put parts of it in plastic bags and distributed them around the island.
The court initially sentenced him to death, but reduced the sentence to life in prison because of his version of events during interrogation. It also ordered him to pay the victim’s family 4.42 million baht ($130,230) in compensation.
(1 dollar = 33.9400 baht)