by The son of Spanish actor Rodolfo Sancho, Daniel, who killed and dismembered his traveling friend, Edwin Arrieta Arteaga, in Thailand, he is being held in Koh Samui prison, in the south of the country, where he will remain until the start of the trial.
In prophylactic isolation due to covid-19 protocols, Daniel Sancho will only have visits from his lawyer, hired by the family. He is “relaxed”, the lawyer told ‘EFE’, and “knows what he has done”. “I explained the process to him. He wants to plan how to live here.” Pretrial detention can last for weeks or months and the possibilities are multiple: to be extradited to Spain or to be tried in Thailand, risking the death penalty.
Daniel Sancho is charged with premeditated murder, dismemberment and concealment of the remains of plastic surgeon Edwin Arrieta. The crime was uncovered after parts of Edwin’s body were found by bystanders in a landfill. Daniel confessed to the murder but said he was a “hostage” of the surgeon.
Like Carlos and Renato, who had a 44-year age difference, Daniel and Edwin were also at different stages of life, with a 15-year age difference.
The Spaniard and the Colombian had been together for about a year, according to Daniel himself, in a seemingly open relationship. Rodolfo Sancho’s son assured his partner he was not gay and had a girlfriend, according to ‘Semana’, but when trying to end the sexual relationship, Edwin allegedly threatened the 29-year-old, saying he was going to post the intimate photos to affect Daniel’s family. – in addition to his father being a famous actor in Spain, Daniel has a movie-related mother and uncles, and his grandfather was Sancho Gracia.
In the case of Carlos Castro and Renato Seabra, the two had been together for a few months. At the time of the crime, friends of the social columnist said he was happy and in love, while those close to Renato Seabra did not believe he was gay, having seen Carlos Castro as a father figure.
An hour of terror in the hotel room
Other aspects of the crimes committed by Renato Seabra and Daniel Sancho show the similarities of the cases. The couples were in countries far from their usual residences and chose hotel rooms as a setting.
Carlos Castro, 65, was in New York with Renato Seabra, then 21, to celebrate the New Year. The body of the social columnist was found on January 7, 2011 in the room 3416 at the Intercontinental Hotel in Times Square.
In the confession of the crime, Renato he said that that day he and Carlos “started a verbal argument that turned into a physical altercation”, reads the document published by ‘Diário de Notícias’. Renato grabbed Carlos by the neck, assaulted him, and stabbed him with a corkscrew. “in the groin area and face”, and hit the columnist’s head with a computer screen. The attack lasted “at least an hour”.
Renato undressed, washed, left the room, soon finding his daughter and a friend of Carlos who wanted to know where the social chronicler was. He then left the hotel, “wandering around aimlessly” before going to St. Luke’s Roosevelt to tend to some injuries.
Unlike Renato, authorities believe Daniel Sancho planned the crime, reports the ‘BBC’. The 29-year-old chef bought a knife, rubber gloves and cleaning product last Tuesday 1. He also rented a boat. Two days later, Daniel went to the police station to report Edwin missing. At the time, police already had reports of certain body parts being found in a dump, which DNA later showed were Edwin.
On Friday, Daniel confessed to the crime and took authorities to seven more locations where he hid the dismembered body.
The murder took place in a resort room where the two were staying. Daniel beat Edwin unconscious, described ‘Week’.
The attack lasted an hour.After the attacks, Daniel dragged Edwin into the bathroom, where he dismembered the surgeon’s body, an act that took three hours. Daniel put the body parts in black bags and threw one part overboard and the other in the landfill.
Renato Seabra was sentenced in 2011 to a 25-year-to-life prison termso supposed to stay in a high-security prison until 2036. He tried to be transferred to Portugal, but a US court rejected his request.
Renato even had the constant support of his mother, Odília Pereirinha, in New York, but the cost of living forced the nurse to return to Portugal, reports ‘Correio da Manhã’. Today, Odília visits her 33-year-old son every three months. Renato worked making clothes in prison and helped with masses.
Daniel faces a similar fate in Thailand, serving time away from his family. For now, the Spanish press says that the father, Rodolfo Sancho, is already in this country to support his son.
