Thailand rejects Daniel Sancho appeals and upholds life sentence for murder of Colombian plastic surgeon

The Phuket Appeals Court has rejected the petition filed by Daniel Sancho, who was sentenced to life in prison for the premeditated murder of Colombian citizen Edwin Arrieta in Thailand in 2023, and will not hold a retrial, as requested by Sancho’s defense team. The judges ruled out the “need for new evidence requested by the defendant” and also did not consider it necessary to increase the compensation awarded to the parents of the Colombian plastic surgeon who was the victim of the crime, according to a statement from the authorities cited by Efe.

Ramón Chipirrás, a member of the legal team defending Sancho, asserts that certain aspects of the Spaniard’s appeal have not been addressed verbally and asks that they wait for the written ruling before making an assessment. “The main requests — such as the one referring to the Thai law requiring statements to be recorded or the request to change the court — have not been addressed. We know they have rejected the need for new witnesses and little else,” he explained in a phone conversation. The attorneys representing Arrieta’s family are evaluating their next steps in the proceedings and plan to issue a statement later on Friday.

Sancho was convicted of the premeditated murder and dismemberment of Edwin Arrieta on August 2, 2023, on the Thai island of Koh Pha Ngan. The ruling stated that Sancho, now 32, planned the crime and “struck” the Colombian plastic surgeon — with whom he had arranged to spend a few days on vacation — with “intent to kill.” He was also ordered to pay approximately $121,000 (four million baht, the official Thai currency) in compensation to the victim’s family, who were financially dependent on him.

The crime received extensive media coverage, especially on television, because Sancho is the son and grandson of Spanish actors Rodolfo Sancho and Sancho Gracia, respectively. His mother is investment analyst Silvia Bronchalo. Arrieta’s dismembered remains were found in various locations on the island, including in the sea. Premeditated murder carries the death penalty in Thailand, but the judge noted in the ruling that Sancho’s initial confession to the police served as a mitigating factor in reducing the sentence to life imprisonment.

The Samui Provincial Court, where the trial took place between April 9 and May 2, 2024, summoned the parties at 10:00 a.m. this Friday local time and announced its decision during a hearing that lasted more than an hour. Now that the first-instance proceedings have concluded, the parties may also appeal to the Supreme Court.

Sancho’s defense attorney, Aprichat Srinuel, and his translator and advisor, Alice Keartjareanlap, traveled to the court. Sancho followed the proceedings via videoconference from Surat Thani Prison, a maximum-security facility located in southern Thailand. Sancho, who was arrested on August 5, 2023, has already spent three years in prison. His defense argues that Arrieta’s death was the result of an accident stemming from a fight in which the defendant acted in self-defense, and therefore rejects the conviction for premeditated murder.

The hearing was held behind closed doors. In its appeal, the defense requested a retrial or another hearing with new witnesses, while the family demanded that the sentence be increased to the death penalty and that compensation be raised above the amount set in the first-instance ruling in August 2024.

Life imprisonment in Thailand offers no prospect of parole in the future. Sancho’s defense attorneys are working to secure a reduction in his sentence. If this effort is unsuccessful, there is also the possibility that his case could be included among the pardons granted by the Thai monarch Maha Vajiralongkorn, who reigns as Rama X.

Since 1983, Spain and Thailand have had a bilateral agreement for cooperation in the enforcement of sentences. This agreement allows Spanish citizens to complete their sentences in their country of origin provided that the sentence is final, no other proceedings are pending, and the minimum time established by the Thai courts has been served in prison. That minimum, which varies by case, is eight years for life sentences, according to Thai law. This transfer is requested through diplomatic channels, and the bilateral agreement covers cases involving individuals sentenced to life imprisonment, such as Sancho’s.

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