The son of a Spanish actor who confessed to killing and dismembering another foreigner on a popular Thai tourist island has been placed in pretrial detention, police said yesterday.
Police on the island of Koh Pha Ngan said that they have enough evidence to charge Daniel Sancho Bronchalo, 29, with premeditated murder after he appeared in court on Monday.
“We have enough evidence and it is now up to the court to start the trial process,” chief investigator Somsak Nurod said. “He is now in detention.”
Photo: EPA-EFE
Sancho — who worked as a chef and is the son of well-known Spanish actor, Rodolfo Sancho — traveled to Thailand on Monday last week as a tourist.
Police found body parts at a garbage dump in Koh Pha Ngan that are believed to belong to Edwin Arrieta Arteaga, a 44-year-old Colombian plastic surgeon.
Closed-circuit television footage obtained by local media showed Daniel Sancho Bronchalo and the victim on a motorcycle together shortly before the remains were discovered. Police said that the motive for the killing was unclear.
On Sunday, Daniel Sancho Bronchalo accompanied investigators to multiple sites where he allegedly dumped body parts. Daniel Sancho Bronchalo’s lawyer told reporters on Tuesday that his client was feeling relaxed and was undergoing a 10-day COVID-19 isolation period at the jail.
Under Thai law, premeditated murder convictions carry the death penalty.
Daniel Sancho Bronchalo’s family is in touch with the Spanish embassy in Bangkok and an agent for his father issued a statement asking for “maximum respect” for their privacy, “in these delicate and completely confusing moments.”
Thailand is a relatively safe country where violent crimes are rare.
Koh Pha Ngan is famed for its white sandy beaches and draws thousands of backpackers to its notoriously wild “full moon” parties.
In 2017, another Spaniard, Artur Segarra, was convicted of murdering a businessman in Bangkok and discarding dismembered body parts into the Chao Praya River.
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