Daniel Sancho, accused of the murder of Colombian surgeon Edwin Arrieta in Thailand, remains imprisoned in the Koh Samui prison, in the south of the Asian country, waiting to know the date of the trial that will determine his prison fate.
Sancho faces charges from the Thai Prosecutor’s Office of premeditated murder of Arrieta, in addition to concealing the Colombian’s body; charges that it is known the Spaniard will not admit before the judge. However, the data extracted from the autopsy of Edwin Arrieta – whose full report is finally known after more than two months – could determine the fate of the Spanish cook, and only because of one doubt, which is crucial.
Sancho confessed to the crime last August, and since then he has remained in provisional prison awaiting trial. The autopsy, which arrives months later, gives clues that try to clarify the alleged crime, with the Prosecutor’s Office ensuring that the Spaniard used “violence” to kill him, later using several knives to allegedly dismember the Colombian’s body and get rid of its parts.
However, there is one doubt that is crucial to the entire case, and that Daniel Sancho’s legal team could cling to: the autopsy report reveals the details of the injuries and the investigation, but it is stated that it is unknown exactly how The Colombian died. That is, the cause of his death could not be determined.
An interesting fact, taking into account the very disparity of versions of the Thai Police in the course of their investigation. At first, it was ruled that the surgeon had died from a slit throat and not from a blow or a stab wound, later detailing that “Daniel Sancho hit Edwin Arrieta very severely, damaging his vital organs until causing his death. dared to use two knives and a saw that the accused had prepared in advance
However, the lack of crucial body parts – such as the thorax – has not made it possible to determine exactly. What’s more, the report itself determines that “it should be examined by more forensic doctors” in order to reach a conclusion.
It is also mentioned that “the police found a remains of a man that was a hip whose legs had been amputated and was cut off at the waist. So only the hip and genitals remained.”
The Prosecutor’s Office finally presented its report to the court on October 25, in which it accused Sancho of three crimes: premeditated murder, concealment of the body and destruction of other people’s documentation.
During the hearing, the court assigned Sancho a public defender, the local lawyer Krit Sudthanom – who had not met with Daniel Sancho, as he himself later admitted – since the accused appeared without defense and by law he must count with a Thai lawyer to defend his case.
Thailand’s Penal Code provides for the death penalty for crimes such as premeditated murder, but if handed down, it is usually later commuted to life imprisonment. Additionally, the defendant’s confession and cooperation can help significantly reduce the sentence.
