“I am prepared for the best and the worst”

Decisive week for Daniel Sancho (30 years old). Next Thursday, August 29, the sentence will be pronounced that will determine whether or not the chef is guilty of the premeditated murder of Colombian surgeon Edwin Arrieta.. Given the resolution, Rodolfo Sancho’s son (49) feels “prepared for the best and the worst.”

On August 22, from Samui prison in southern Thailand, Daniel Sancho made exclusive statements to EFE that were published on the morning of Monday 26.I am prepared for the best and the worst“, the young man said when asked how he was dealing with the decision.

Daniel is optimistic and it is convinced that the judge will exclude that the death of Edwin Arrieta was due to premeditated murder. He believes that during the trial “it became clear that it was an accident.” In his argument, Rodolfo Sancho’s son cited forensic evidence presented by the defense that he said would show that the death was due to a fight.

The conversation with Daniel Sancho, who maintains his usual routine of exercise and reading, took place through a window and a telephone without the possibility of recording or taking notes.

After more than a year in pre-trial detention, the young man admitted to having He lives impatiently waiting to hear the sentence and that the months since the trial, which ended last May, have been “very long.”

“Until the trial, he was a man with a mission,” he said. Daniel Sancho, for his part, indicated that spent a lot of time focusing and preparing for the processin which he played a very active role, since the judge allowed him to ask questions to the witnesses.

It is recalled that during the trial, held behind closed doors at the Samui provincial court between April 9 and May 2, the accused and his defense team They claimed that Edwin Arrieta’s death was caused by an accident during a fight. and that the Spaniard acted in self-defense against an alleged attempted sexual assault.

The prosecution, for its part, tried to demonstrate, through dozens of pieces of evidence and witnesses, including the purchase of knives and a saw, that Sancho had planned the murder and dismemberment of Arrieta, whose remains were found in August 2023 in several places. . of Phangan, including the sea. However, The autopsy performed on the Colombian surgeon was inconclusive because key parts of the body, such as the torso, were not found..

The next scheduled step is the reading of the sentence. It will take place on Thursday, August 29, at the Samui court. According to sources close to the case, The resolution has already been drafted and sent for ratification. at the office of the chief judge of Surat Thani, the province to which the island belongs. Access to the room will be very restricted and the judge will only decide at the last moment who can enter.

However, the parents of the accused are expected toSpanish actor Rodolfo Sancho and investment analyst Silvia Bronchalo are present in the room, as well as the prosecutor, Thai defense lawyers and those representing the victim’s family in the Asian country. Arrieta’s family will not attend the sentencing in principle.and so far they have not wanted to make any statements about how they will deal with the decision.

Daniel Sancho assured that this procedure gave him “peace of mind” and “confidence” in the process.common in Thailand for serious cases, both criminal and civil, which may involve high penalties or compensation.

The Thai penal code provides for sentences ranging from 15 years in prison to the death penalty for murder, although Thailand virtually does not enforce the latter penalty and it is usually commuted to lighter sentences.

Rodolfo Sancho’s son is accused of dismembering Arrieta’s body -to which he pleaded guilty- and make your passport disappearcrimes that could result in between one and six years in prison, respectively.