Seen for sentence. The trial of the young Spaniard Daniel Sancho ended this Thursday before noon, Thai time, with a long argument from him. The man accused of the murder of Colombian surgeon Edwin Arrieta has defended his innocence for 45 minutes (translation included) and has shown some signs of compassion towards the victim's family.
Taking advantage of his right to the last word, Sancho has once again attacked the police, who he believes have set a trap for him. He insists, therefore, that there was no premeditation or even murder since, according to him, he hit Arrieta in self-defense. He has only admitted to having dismembered and scattered the corpse of his friend.
To do this, he used, as is known, instruments such as a saw, which he had previously purchased, according to him, with the intention of “cutting coconuts.” To prove it, the young man's defense had summoned a Thai chef this morning, willing to demonstrate that the saw is part of the kitchen arsenal in Thailand, for exotic cuisines. Something difficult to prove and that, in any case, he has not had the opportunity to try, since the owner of his restaurant has not allowed him to go to court.
In any case, the parade of witnesses - almost all of them from the prosecution - has not altered the positions. The prosecution and the private prosecution continue to consider that there was premeditated murder and the defense maintains the innocence of their client, guilty, at most, of "involuntary manslaughter."
The end of the trial has allowed a slight relaxation of the information blockade with which it has been shielded by order of the judge, since its beginning four weeks ago. Thus, Rodolfo Sancho has declared his satisfaction to La Vanguardia at the end of the trial, for having done “everything possible and more.”
Then he wanted to clarify something that had been bothering him for weeks: “To those who have presented me as inhuman, I say that it is a lie that I did not present my condolences to the family in Colombia. It was the first thing I did.” His ex-partner, Silvia Bronchalo, Daniel's mother, has also spoken out against the media in a rare aside: “Liars.”
Much more informative has been the translator of the accused into Thai, Songwan, who in more than acceptable Spanish has finally explained some of the ins and outs of the trial behind closed doors. “Daniel Sancho has cried several times during the process,” he said, “now he knows what the loss of a life is for a family.” He has also revealed that according to his own statements, the young man “felt very afraid when he saw himself very threatened and under a lot of pressure from Edwin Arrieta.” Something that would have made him lose control, with a fatal outcome.
A notable aspect of today's final argument, highlighted by both the translator and the lawyer Carmen Balfagón, is that Daniel Sancho would have expressed his regret for what happened as well as his willingness to repair the damage caused to the extent possible, economically, when can. Something that could last a long time, since the only certainty is his re-entry into prison.
The gap of almost four months between the end of the trial and the reading of the sentence is unusually long. Although the judge gave one month for the parties to present final written arguments, the defense asked to extend that period to two months to facilitate their translation.
The case is being heard for sentencing and will be made public on August 29. Lawyers Carmen Balfagón and Ramón Chippirrás have implied, by their facial expressions, when asked, that they are more than prepared for there to be an appeal from the prosecution and the case to be prolonged. “Now it is up to the judge to hand down the sentence,” acknowledged the prosecutor, Jeerawat Sawatdichai. “But in case of acquittal, I will certainly appeal.”
Finally, it should be said that both parties have declared themselves satisfied and pleasantly surprised by the functioning of justice in Thailand and its particular procedural procedures, which they have considered reliable and guaranteeing.
Daniel Sancho, who never got to cut coconuts on Koh Phangan, instead opened a Pandora's box, resulting in one death, two families destroyed and his own life on hold.
