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Date Published: 15/08/2023

Spanish killer sentenced to death in Thailand: The murder case that shook Spain

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Celebrity’s son given death penalty after he confesses to killing and dismembering lover in Thai hotel room

Spanish killer sentenced to death in Thailand: The murder case that shook Spain

Spain has been consumed by a gruesome murder case that took place in Thailand this summer after Spaniard Daniel Sancho, son of famous Spanish actor Rodolfo Sancho, was arrested by Thai police for stabbing and dismembering Colombian surgeon Edwin Arrieta in a twisted and terrifying tale worthy of a Netflix special.

Thai authorities have now closed their investigation, which started on August 3, and have confirmed the events that took place that led to the death of Arrieta. Furthermore, having concluded that the murder was premeditated, they have requested that the court hand Daniel Sancho the severest possible punishment, the death penalty.

So why did the Spanish D-lister decide to commit murder in the notoriously harsh country of Thailand, and could there be mitigating circumstances that could save him from the executioner?

It seems it all started when young Daniel, who was just 29 years old and worked as a chef, wanted to get out of the relationship he was in with 44-year-old Arrieta. The pair were living together in an apartment on the Thai island of Koh Phangan, where the older man apparently paid the younger a monthly stipend equivalent to over 20,000 euros.

However, Daniel felt trapped in the relationship and wanted to escape, something he presumably felt was impossible either due to the financial debt he felt he owed his lover or to a less tangible sort of psychological power the older man may have had over him.

Whatever the case, on the night of Wednesday August 2, while the pair were staying in a hotel room, Daniel Sancho took a knife, which has not yet been recovered by police, and stabbed Edwin Arrieta in the right side of his chest. Arrieta seems to have fallen and hit his head against the sink, according to Thai investigators. It is unknown whether it was the stabbing or the blow to the head that was the cause of death, but what is known is the grisly detail that came next.

Over the next three hours, Sancho methodically cut the body up into 14 different pieces using two knives and a saw, then stayed another hour to clean everything up.

He threw away Arrieta’s belongings, including his mobile phone, but kept hold of 9,000 USD in cash.

He was picked up shortly afterward by police and transferred to prison. As more details of the case come forward – including a confession by Daniel of premeditated homicide and a series of supposedly incriminating text messages on his phone which have not been released by police – it is becoming increasingly clear that this is one of the most extreme and bloodiest cases involving foreign nationals in all of Thailand’s history.

Image: Thai Royal Police

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