Daniel Sancho, son of actor Rodolfo Sancho, is the main suspect in a gruesome murder that has rocked the Thai island of Koh Phangan. The 29-year-old cook faces the possibility of the death penalty after the brutal disappearance and killing of Colombian surgeon Edwin Arrieta Arteaga, 44.
The body of Dr. Arteaga, mutilated and scattered in various garbage bags, was discovered after his disappearance after the family alerted him that his whereabouts were unknown. Sancho, after a long interrogation, confessed his involvement in the crime to the local authorities, citing jealousy and fear of betrayal as motives for the murder.
The judicial horizon for Sancho is dark at the moment. In Thailand, murder can carry penalties ranging from 15 to 20 years in prison to life imprisonment. However, in extreme cases, the death penalty can also be applied, although its use has been relatively rare in recent years.
Although rare, executions in Thailand are permitted by law and the possibility that Sancho may have to serve the death sentence is real. The only option left for the chef is for King Maha Vajiralongkorn to commute it. Many of the sentences are commuted and, if sentenced to death, Sancho would still have the option of asking the monarch for clemency.
The case of Artur Segarra, a Spaniard sentenced to death in 2016 for the murder of businessman David Bernat in Bangkok, sets a precedent. Segarra, as Sancho could do, asked the Thai king for mercy and got it. His sentence was changed to life imprisonment and the possibility of a transfer to a Spanish prison was opened, although he had to serve a minimum of eight years in a Thai prison.
This is also especially tricky, because the conditions are completely different from those in Spain. A sentence in a Thai prison does not just mean serving a criminal sentence. The inmates must also survive in an extremely hostile environment. The reality of these prisons includes overcrowding, lack of medical services, insufficient hygiene and nutrition, and violence among prisoners.
