The son of two Spanish movie stars has been arrested in Thailand on suspicion of murdering and dismembering a Colombian surgeon on a tourist island, police said.
Daniel Sancho Bronchalo was taken from Koh Phagnan, where Edwin Arrieta Arteaga’s remains were found, to another island, Samui, where he is being held, Surat Thani provincial police chief Saranyu Chamnanrat said Tuesday.
Sancho, a chef with a YouTube channel, has been charged with first-degree murder, which could carry the death penalty, and concealing a body to cover up the death, Saranyu said.
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Details of the murder emerged last week when Thai media reported that plastic bags containing a man’s body parts had been found in a landfill on Koh Phagnan, an island known for its monthly full moon parties.
Police said Sancho came in to report a missing person after the body parts were found and then detained. He later confessed to killing and dismembering Arrieta and then dumping the body parts in the landfill and into the sea, though he denied it was premeditated, police said. His arrest warrant was issued by the Koh Samui Provincial Court on Saturday.
“He admitted it,” Koh Pha Ngan police chief Panya Niratimanon told AFP, adding that the investigation is still ongoing.
“The victim and the suspect knew each other before coming to Thailand, and his dubious activities indicate that he could kill the victim.” Panya added.
Saranyu declined to comment on the motive, but said it was likely due to a personal relationship between the suspect and the victim. Thai media quoted police as saying that Sancho, who came to Thailand for a vacation, told authorities that the two were in a romantic relationship and that he tried to break up with the victim, but the victim refused.
Sancho told the Spanish news agency EFE that he had been a “hostage” to the victim, who was obsessed with him. BBC News reported.
Security camera video broadcast by Thai media, reportedly taken a day before the body parts were found, showed Sancho and Arrieta together on a motorbike.
On Sunday, Sancho led police to seven locations, where he allegedly disposed of the victim’s dismembered body in plastic bags, BBC News reported.
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Regional police chief Surapong Thanomchit told Thai public broadcaster PBS that Sancho bought a knife, garbage bags and cleaning supplies before Arrieta’s death.
According to media reports, Sancho is the son of Rodolfo Sancho, who starred in “El Ministerio del Tiempo” (“The Ministry of Time”), and actor Silvia Bronchalo. Sancho’s uncle, Felix Sancho, told journalists in Spain: “A little respect for the family is all we ask for, because this is so painful.”
The family also released a statement on Sunday asking for “maximum respect, both for Daniel Sancho himself and for the entire family, in these delicate moments of maximum confusion,” Reuters reported.
The Spanish embassy in Bangkok said it was aware of a crime involving a Spanish man, but declined to provide further information due to data protection laws.
Colombia’s foreign ministry posted a statement on its website on Sunday thanking Thai police for their investigation and saying it is providing assistance to the victim’s family.
Thailand is a relatively safe country where violent crimes are rare.
Koh Pha Ngan is famous for its white sand beaches and attracts thousands of backpackers to its infamous wild ‘full moon’ parties.
In 2014, another tourist island of Koh Tao was rocked by the double murder of two young British backpackers.
Two Burmese nationals are serving life sentences for the killings, but rights groups have accused Thai authorities of using the men as scapegoats.
AFP contributed to this report.
