Confirmed: New U-turn With Daniel Sancho, Edwin Arrieta's Killer

Daniel Sancho, sentenced to life imprisonment for the brutal murder and dismemberment of Colombian surgeon Edwin Arrieta in Thailand, continues to make headlines. After being sentenced to spend the rest of his life behind bars, Sancho's defense doesn't seem willing to accept the verdict. In fact, they remain determined to achieve a better outcome for the young Spaniard.

This Wednesday, his legal team officially filed an appeal with the Samui Provincial Court in an attempt to overturn the sentence. Daniel Sancho's lawyers, who have been working on the appeal strategy for months, have submitted a document of nearly 400 pages.

Daniel Sancho's Defense Appeals the Sentence in Thailand

According to El Confidencial, this indicates the volume of work and the seriousness with which they have approached this case. The resolution of the appeal will be reviewed by the Phuket Court of Appeals, responsible for assessing whether the original sentence is upheld or not.

The appeal comes several months after the initial sentence. It is, therefore, the last formal step in a long judicial process that has kept both Spain and Thailand on edge.

Daniel Sancho's defense, led by a team of lawyers both in Thailand and Spain, is hoping for a prompt response from the court. What has not been disclosed are details about the arguments presented in the appeal.

The Murder of Edwin Arrieta, a Case That Kept Spain on Edge

The case involving Daniel Sancho and Edwin Arrieta occurred in August 2023, on the island of Phangan, located near Samui. According to the sentence, the young man planned the crime in advance, which included purchasing knives, a saw, and plastic bags. The court concluded that Daniel Sancho struck Arrieta with the intent to kill him, and that the murder was premeditated.

However, during the trial, the defense argued that Arrieta's death was accidental. Moreover, they claimed it occurred in the context of a fight in which Daniel Sancho defended himself from an attempted rape.

The young Spaniard, who admitted his guilt to the police, was transferred to Surat Thani prison shortly after receiving the sentence. Since then, he has been in preventive detention while awaiting the resolution of his appeal.

The appeal filed by the defense adds to a previous response to the victim's family's appeal. They had requested that the sentence be increased to the death penalty. Edwin Arrieta's family argued that the strength of the police evidence and the lack of remorse justified a harsher sentence.