The trial against Daniel Sancho, accused of the premeditated murder of Colombian surgeon Edwin Arrieta, concluded this Thursday in Thailand with a plea from the accused after a process of about a month.
News that could not have made Alfonso Arús, presenter of Aruser@s, more happy, who did not hide his joy upon learning of the end of the judicial process. So much so that he did not hesitate to comment that he was so excited that he was thinking of giving a gift to his collaborators.
“I’m so happy that this trial is over that I’m about to buy you all a few beers,” said the presenter with his contagious smile. “I really wanted this trial to end once and for all.”
Obviously, his collaborators reacted with pleasure, and after commenting on every new development – and technical problems in the courtroom of Koh Samui – in almost a month of trial, there is nothing better than the boss inviting a snack, which it is always appreciated.
Some beers that will put an end to the comments about the trial in the program, but only until next August 29, because Arús already warned that “we will be back” when the judge reads the sentence that determines the prison fate of Rodolfo Sancho’s son. .
The collaborators have also commented that the trial has ended one day before the date initially scheduled for the end of the process, which has been held behind closed doors since last April 9. “Maybe it was also community day in Koh Samui,” said Arús.
It must be said that the judge had given a month for the parties to present final written arguments from now on, but the defense asked to extend that period to two months because they have to translate it, which the magistrate authorized and has delayed the reading of sentence.
During today’s hearing, Sancho made a final argument of about 45 minutes, which he had requested himself. In total, the chef has testified for a total of seven hours, doing so in Spanish and English. “Lucky that the air conditioning worked, because for seven hours…” said Arús.
The trial has gained enormous media attention and has had a total of twelve sessions and around 35 witnesses, with only a dozen from the defense. Although it was planned, the father of the accused, the actor Rodolfo Sancho, did not give a statement; nor did some of the defense witnesses.
The Prosecutor’s Office has tried to demonstrate during the trial that Sancho premeditatedly murdered Arrieta on August 2. In addition, the chef is accused of hiding the body, for the dismemberment of Arrieta – which Sancho attributes to the “shock” of the moment -, and of destroying other people’s documentation, for the Colombian’s passport.
Sancho has pleaded not guilty to premeditated murder and the destruction of other people’s documentation, accepting only the charge of hiding the body. The defense alleges that the chef acted in self-defense after an attempted sexual assault by the Colombian surgeon, whose death was due to an accident after a fight.
After the trial, Sancho has returned to Koh Samui prison, where he has been in provisional detention since he was arrested on August 7 and where he will remain until August 29.
