On August 5, one of the most atrocious crimes of recent times came to light: Daniel Sancho, 29 years old and son and grandson of actors Rodolfo Sancho and Sancho Gracia, was arrested after confessing to having murdered and dismembered the Colombian surgeon. Edwin Arrieta in the touristy Koh Phanghan, southern Thailand.
Two days later, the young man entered provisional detention in the Koh Samui prison, and the Police began to prepare the investigation report that they must deliver to the Prosecutor’s Office within a period of 84 days, as determined by the country’s law. A report that is being finalized normally, despite the allegations of corruption against the case supervisor and number two on the force, Surachate Hakparn, known as “Big Joke”.
If the chronology continues, the report should be ready and reviewed to be delivered during the month of October, the date on which the deadline determined by law expires and from when a trial date can be set. A decisive month for Daniel Sancho, which contains a key day: Friday the 27th, the day on which, if everything goes smoothly, he must plead guilty or innocent to the charges against him.
That same Friday, Sancho would be transferred from the Koh Samui prison, where he has remained since last August 7, to the Provincial Court. This will be his first outing since he proclaimed himself the author of the macabre crime, and there he will find himself face to face with the judges in charge of judging his case.
The Thai police already confirmed weeks ago that they will accuse Daniel Sancho of premeditated murder. For this crime of aggravated murder, the Prosecutor’s Office is likely to request the death penalty, legal in the Asian country. However, this sentence could be commuted to life imprisonment, although this will depend on other factors.
At that point, we will have to see how the young man, who has already confessed twice before the Thai Police to being responsible for a horrible crime, declares himself. However, Sancho has always maintained that he was a hostage of Edwin Arrieta, who had threatened to reveal details of his relationship to harm him and his family.
Since then, many details have been revealed about his personal and past life, including possible links with the Colombian surgeon.
For his father, actor Rodolfo Sancho, it was obvious that his son “had some psychotic break or that he had some mental illness that had never surfaced,” as he explained to Darlin Arrieta in a message he sent him after the crime was discovered to apologize.
A fact that also coincides with the change of team and legal advice that the Sancho family has made in Spain – now represented by the famous criminal lawyer Marcos García Montes, who has already expressed his doubts about the investigation -; in addition to new, possibly decisive testimonies, which could give an unexpected turn to the case.
