YouTube chef found guilty of gruesome murder on Thai holiday island | Thailand

A Thai court has found Daniel Sancho Bronchalo, a member of a famous Spanish acting family and YouTube chef, guilty of premeditated murder and sentenced him to life imprisonment. The case has shocked Spain to a spectacular extent.

The 30-year-old was convicted of murdering Edwin Arrieta Arteaga, a 44-year-old plastic surgeon from Colombia, while both were vacationing on the Thai holiday island of Koh Pha-ngan in August 2023.

The case has attracted enormous interest in Spain because the defendant's father, Rodolfo Sancho, is a well-known actor and numerous Spanish reporters have flown in for the trial.

At his trial on the island of Samui, Sancho claimed he got into a fight after Arrieta allegedly tried to sexually assault him. He said Arrieta fell during the scuffle and hit his head on a bathtub, lost consciousness and then died.

Sancho admitted to dismembering the victim's body and disposing of the parts on land and at sea.

The Koh Samui Provincial Court had initially imposed the death penalty on Sancho, but commuted it to life imprisonment in its verdict due to his cooperation during the trial, police said.

Bussakorn Kaewleeled, a lawyer for the victim's family, said they were satisfied with the outcome.

“The plaintiff is satisfied with the verdict as he will be sentenced to life in prison and will receive financial compensation,” Bussakorn told reporters outside the courthouse.

When asked about Sancho's reaction, she said: “He is sad, but we must not forget the loss of the dead man.”

Sancho claimed he killed 44-year-old Arrieta in self-defense and admitted hiding the body, but denied destroying the Colombian's passport. During the trial, it was revealed that Sancho dismembered Arrieta's body and packed the pieces in plastic bags, then distributed them on Koh Phangan.

Although Thailand still has the death penalty for some crimes, including premeditated murder, executions are rare—the last one took place in 2018.

Before the verdict was announced, Arrieta's family said they were in favor of a life sentence.

With Agence France-Presse and Associated Press