HBO Max’s “The Sancho Case” is a four-part Spanish documentary series that explores the brutal murder of Edwin Arrieta in the late summer of 2023. As investigators found the victim’s remains, YouTube chef Daniel Sancho Bronchalo came up with a unexpected admission of guilt. Given the perpetrator’s popularity, the case gained international media attention as he was put on trial for his crimes. The show also features insightful interviews with the victim’s loved ones and officials directly or indirectly connected to the case.

Daniel Sancho Bronchalo claimed he killed Edward Arrieta Arteaga in self-defense

The son of Spanish actors Rodolfo Sancho Aguirre and Silvia Bronchalo, Daniel Sancho Bronchalo is a YouTube chef who became involved in the gruesome murder of a 44-year-old Colombian plastic surgeon named Edwin Arrieta Arteaga. It all started when Daniel and Edwin connected with each other through social media in 2022 and allegedly became romantically involved. After a year of knowing each other, they finally met face to face on the Thai island of Ko Pha Ngan during the monthly full moon celebrations. According to Daniel, things went south that night when they got into a heated argument after Edwin allegedly forced himself on him.

According to Daniel’s account, during the physical fight that took place between them, Edwin fell and hit his head on the tub, which resulted in his death. He dismembered her body and put the body parts in plastic bags before dumping them on Ko Pha Ngan. Not long after, he reported Edwin’s disappearance to the Thai police. However, in early August 2023, garbage collectors had already come across the victim’s severed body parts and reported it to the authorities. Furthermore, surveillance footage from a convenience store revealed that Daniel had purchased rubber gloves, a knife, cleaning solutions and trash bags prior to the murder. After connecting the dots and finding enough evidence to link Daniel to the murder, the police took him into custody on charges of killing Edwin and dismembering his body.

During interrogation, Daniel confessed to killing his Colombian friend, but claimed he did it in self-defense. In addition to pleading guilty, the YouTube chef also led authorities to the seven locations on the island where he allegedly dumped the plastic bags containing his victim’s remains. Although he admitted hiding the body parts, he denied destroying his passport. Before the sentencing, Edwin’s family preferred that the murderer receive a life sentence rather than the death penalty. His sister said, “Let him be left in Thailand so he can take time, all the time God gives him to live, to think about what he’s done.”

Daniel Sancho Bronchalo is incarcerated in a Thai prison

Although he pleaded guilty to dismembering the body of Edwin Arrieta Arteaga, Daniel Sancho Bronchalo pleaded not guilty to charges of first degree murder and destroying another person’s documents. During his trial in August 2024, while prosecutors presented concrete evidence to prove his guilt on all charges brought against him, the defense argued that the defendant acted in self-defense when the victim allegedly forced him to have sexual relations. Daniel claimed the reason he didn’t report his death to the police was because he was in a state of shock and panic. In his closing statement, the killer claimed he felt guilty and regretted his actions.

He told the court: “I am sorry that a life was lost and that the parents lost a son. I’m sorry his family couldn’t give him a proper burial. I’m sorry for what I did after death.” On August 29, 2024, the convict was sentenced to two months in prison for the charge of dismemberment and two years for the destruction of documents. As for the murder charge, he initially received the death penalty, but due to his cooperation during the trial, the judge commuted it to life imprisonment. In addition, the perpetrator was ordered to pay 4 million baht in compensation to the victim’s family. After spending about a year in Koh Samui Prison during his detention period, he was transferred to Surat Thani Prison, where he is currently serving his life sentence.

Read more: Andrew Beard: Where is the murderer now?