Neither premeditation nor treachery. Self-defense. The young Spaniard Daniel Sancho Bronchalo, imprisoned in Thailand for the crime of the Colombian surgeon Edwin Arrieta, dedicated his long final argument yesterday in the Samui Court to defending his innocence. His words, with a few drops of regret, left a closed-door trial for sentencing that, if it has served any purpose, is to show that the evidence and witnesses for the prosecution multiply those of the defense.
Despite this, yesterday she exuded optimism, convinced that the worst hypotheses – death penalty or life imprisonment – ??have been exorcised, due to the alleged difficulties of the Prosecutor’s Office in proving premeditation, which is the true red line in Thailand.
The thesis of involuntary manslaughter sounds less forced than a month ago. Although the verdict, in any case, is a matter for the two magistrates, who will read their resolution on August 29 at ten in the morning.
The severity of the sentence will also depend on whether Sancho can finish serving his sentence in the airy Samui prison or be transferred to the high-security prison in Bangkok, where the dismemberer Artur Segarra is also locked up.
Daniel Sancho, very active throughout the process, used his last opportunity to once again attack the police, who used tricks to extract an incriminating confession from him.
On the other hand, to prove that the saw used by Sancho to dismember his Colombian patron had actually been acquired to cut coconuts, the defense yesterday summoned a Thai chef willing to certify that this tool is part of the kitchen arsenal in Thailand. Something far-fetched and which he did not have the opportunity to try anyway, since his boss did not give him permission to testify.
It should be said that the end of the process has relaxed the severe information blockade ruled by the judge since its beginning, three weeks ago.
Thus, the prisoner’s father, Rodolfo Sancho, declared his satisfaction to La Vanguardia for having done “everything possible and more.” Then the actor wanted to clarify something that hurt him: “To those who have presented me as inhuman, I tell them that it is a lie that I did not present my condolences to the family in Colombia. It was the first thing I did.”
Songwan, the defendant’s translator into Thai, also spoke for the first time, detailing some interior details. “Daniel Sancho has cried several times during the process.” And even he has justified it: “Daniel felt very afraid when he saw himself very threatened and under a lot of pressure from Edwin Arrieta.” Something that would have made him lose control, with fatal consequences.
A notable aspect of yesterday’s argument, highlighted by both the translator and the lawyer Carmen Balfagón, is that Daniel Sancho would have expressed his regret for what happened, as well as his willingness to repair the damage caused to the extent possible, that is, , financially, when I can. Something that could last a long time, since the only certainty is his stay in jail.
It should be noted that the four-month period between the end of the trial and the reading of the sentence is exceptionally long. Although the judge gave one month for the parties to present final arguments, the defense asked to extend that period to two months to facilitate their translation.
Defense lawyers Carmen Balfagón and Ramón Chippirrás have hinted that they are aware that there may be resources that prolong the case. “If Sancho were acquitted, we would appeal the sentence without a doubt,” warned the prosecutor, Jeerawat Sawatdichai, thus leaving a wide margin of agreement.
The fact is that Daniel Sancho, son and grandson of famous people, never cut coconuts in Koh Phangan. Instead he opened a Pandora’s box, resulting in one death, two families torn apart, and his own life on hold.
Roosters are another ubiquitous symbol in Samui, as in other parts of Thailand. In figurines, the bigger the better, since they are supposed to bring good luck, especially to small businesses, where they have their cupboard.
Finally, in addition to human-made idols, on this island of Buddhist tradition, dotted with communities of Chinese and Malay origin, there are other even more astonishing telluric manifestations. Like the rocky relief, also four steps from the Samui Court and Prison, whose name, Hin Ta and Hin Yai, in view of the photo, makes translation almost unnecessary: ??Grandfather and Grandmother.
