Daniel Sancho ante su sentencia: “Estoy preparado para lo mejor y para lo peor”

Koh Samui (Thailand).- Spanish national Daniel Sancho states he is “ready for the best and the worst” ahead of the verdict on August 29, which will decide his guilt or innocence in the premeditated murder of Colombian surgeon Edwin Arrieta on a Thai island last year.

“I am prepared for the best and the worst,” Sancho told EFE on August 22 at the Samui prison (southern Thailand) when asked how he is facing the upcoming decision, expressing optimism and his belief that the judge will rule the death of Arrieta wasn’t a case of premeditated murder.

The Spaniard opined that the trial “made it clear it was an accident,” in reference to Arrieta’s death on August 2, 2023, on the Thai island of Phangan. He cited forensic evidence presented by the defense, which he claims proves the death resulted from a fight.

Sancho, 30, shared these thoughts during a prison visit, and the conversation took place through a glass and a phone, with no possibility of recording or taking notes.

After spending more than a year in pretrial detention, the young man confessed his eagerness to learn the verdict, mentioning the months since the trial’s conclusion in May have felt “very long.”

“Until the trial, I was a man with a mission,” he stated, explaining that he spent a lot of time focused and preparing for the trial, during which he played an active role since the judge allowed him to question witnesses.

The trial

The closed-door trial, held at the Samui Provincial Court from April 9 to May 2, saw the accused and his defense team arguing that Arrieta’s death was the result of an accident during a fight, and that the Spaniard was acting in self-defense against an alleged sexual assault attempt.

Meanwhile, the prosecution attempted to prove, through dozens of pieces of evidence and witnesses, including the purchase of knives and a saw, that Sancho had preplanned Arrieta’s murder and dismemberment, 44, whose remains were found in several places across Phangan, including the sea.

An autopsy performed on the Colombian surgeon was inconclusive due to the absence of key body parts like the torso.

In the final days before the verdict, Sancho maintains his usual routine of exercise and reading. He had met with the Colombian surgeon, whom he knew since 2022, on the day of the incident.

The Verdict

The defendant, who initially confessed to the crime to the Phangan Police, will attend the verdict reading next Thursday at the Samui court, where the trial took place amidst significant media attention.

Sources close to the case report that the verdict has already been drafted and sent for ratification to the chief judge’s office of Surat Thani (the province governing Samui).

Sancho finds “tranquility” and “confidence” in this procedure, a customary step in Thailand for serious cases, both criminal and civil, that may involve severe penalties or compensations.

The Thai penal code provides for 15 years in prison to the death penalty in murder cases, though Thailand rarely executes this punishment, often commuting it to lesser terms.

Manslaughter cases result in 3 to 15 years of imprisonment. The Spaniard is also charged with dismembering Arrieta’s body— a crime he admitted guilt to— and disposing of his passport, crimes that could lead to one to six years in prison, respectively.

Access to the courtroom during the sentence reading this Thursday will be highly restricted, and the judge will decide at the last moment who can enter, as EFE learned.

However, it is anticipated that the accused’s parents, Spanish actor Rodolfo Sancho and investment analyst Silvia Bronchalo, as well as the prosecutor, the Thai defense lawyers, and the representatives in Thailand for the victim’s family, will be present. The Arrieta family is not expected to attend the sentencing reading and has so far declined to comment on the case.

creditos de las imagenes de este post: Robertocavada.com