Daniel Sancho remains in prison awaiting trial as the alleged perpetrator of the murder of Colombian surgeon Edwin Arrieta in Thailand. Sancho, son of the renowned actor Rodolfo Sancho, has been imprisoned in the Asian country since last August.
If a few days ago his lawyers in Spain held a press conference to comment on the alleged irregularities that they had detected in the first police report related to the investigation of the case and on which the Prosecutor’s Office relied to request the maximum penalty (capital, still legal in the Asian country) for Daniel Sancho; Now we have been able to access that first statement, which provides new details to this mysterious case that seems to have more and more unexpected turns.
Let’s see, presented by Joaquín Prat, provided this first statement from Daniel Sancho about how the events happened, where the young chef confessed to having murdered and subsequently dismembered Edwin Arrieta.
In his first statement, Sancho admits having ended the Colombian’s life and, presumably, later threw his remains into the sea. After the crime, Sancho himself went to the Koh Phanghan Police Station, where he would report the disappearance of his friend and, barely half an hour later, he would end up confessing the facts: “I want to confess, I feel guilty, I feel that the Police observe.”
According to these first data, Daniel Sancho explained to the agents that “he sent him private photos”, naked and frequently; and that Edwin Arrieta had given him around 10,000 euros in credit cards to cover some expenses. The Spaniard also confessed that he had gone to buy materials such as knives, gloves, plastic bags or cleaning products: “I went to the hardware store to buy the saw to prepare Edwin’s murder,” he even said.
Finally, after allegedly committing the crime, the Spaniard continued writing to Edwin Arrieta in order to create an alibi. One of his last messages was: “I’m very worried, I haven’t seen you in hours, you were carrying all your things, I’m going to have to call the police. I’m going to the hotel, I hope you’re there and you’ve just lost your cell phone or bag”.
This first statement was recorded in the case summary, which became part of the police report on which the Prosecutor’s Office relied to issue its conclusions to the judge.
Antena 3 Noticias also had access to the last WhatsApp messages that the Spanish and the Colombian exchanged shortly before the surgeon’s death. The messages, broadcast on Espejo Público, show the type of relationship they had.
They both address each other with the affectionate nickname of “chiqui” and even exchange images and videos, never showing signs of conflict, as Daniel points out later in his confession. What’s more, the surgeon even reminds the Spaniard what it cost him to make the trip: “Chiqui, I have to love you a lot for this journey.”
The trial will begin on April 9.
