(VitalNews.org) – 29-year-old Daniel Sancho Bronchalo has been charged with murdering his boyfriend, a 44-year-old plastic surgeon from Columbia. Sancho, the son of two successful Spanish film stars, is also known for his YouTube videos in which he demonstrates his skills as a chef. Sancho had been on vacation in Thailand with his boyfriend, Dr Edwin Arrieta Arteaga, when he filed a missing person report with the police at a Koh Phagnan station. Although Sancho claimed not to know where his partner was at the time, he has since pled guilty to his killing in a Thai court.
At the time that Sancho reported Arrieta’s disappearance, parts of the surgeon’s body had already been found in a nearby landfill site on the southern island of Koh Phagnan, an area usually known for its “full moon parties” and beautiful beaches. DNA tests allowed police to determine that the remains belonged to Arrieta, and further investigation revealed that Sancho had brought several potentially suspicious items the previous week, including a knife, cleaning fluid, and rubber gloves. Police have said that they believe Arrieta’s killing to have been pre-meditated, with these purchases being made to aid Sancho’s criminal plans.
After admitting to the police that he had in act killed his boyfriend, Sancho agreed to show the police seven different sites in the area where he had attempted to hide parts of the body in plastic bags. It is alleged that Sancho not only hid parts in landfill sites, but also put some into suitcases and dumped them in the sea after transporting them by kayak.
The murder investigation is ongoing, with Sancho claiming that the killing was not pre-meditated. Under Thai law, pre-meditated murder can result in a death sentence for the perpetrator. Sancho told police that he was practically held hostage by Arrieta, and that he had tried to break up with Arrieta, who had refused to accept it.
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