The Spanish Daniel Sancho declared himself this Monday not guilty of the premeditated murder of Colombian surgeon Edwin Arrieta in Thailand, during a hearing in the court on the island of Samui, sources close to the case informed EFE.
At that hearing, Sancho, 29 years old and in provisional prison since last August 7, denied being guilty of premeditated murder of the Colombian on the island of Phangan, as well as making his passport disappear, two of the three charges against him, but he pleaded guilty of hiding parts of his body.
Sancho assured during the hearing that the death of Edwin Arrieta was due to an accident.
Likewise, the young Spaniard told the judge today that he wanted to dispense with the services of public defender Krit Sudthanom, who was assigned to him on October 26, when the accused appeared before the judge without a private lawyer.
According to what the lawyer himself said today, Sancho requested a new lawyer, who will also be appointed by the court.
The Spaniard did not have a lawyer in Thailand – where he can only be defended by a Thai one – since September 7, after the accused’s father, the Spanish actor Rodolfo Sancho, dispensed with the services of Anan Chuayprabat for “discrepancies in the defense”.
Rodolfo Sancho was present today at the hearing, in which prosecutor Jeerawat Sawatdichai read to the accused the charges of premeditated murder, concealment of the body and destruction of other people’s documentation.
The Thai lawyer who represents Edwin Arrieta’s family also went to court, after last Friday they announced that the victim’s relatives will appear at the trial against Daniel Sancho.
Today, for the first time, the young man had the assistance of an interpreter from Thai to Spanish, as he requested on October 26, when the hearing was then postponed until today for that reason.
On November 27, a new visit will be held, in which both the prosecution and the defense will present their evidence in the process against the Spaniard.
Sancho pleaded guilty to the murder and dismemberment of the Colombian surgeon, which carries the death penalty in Thailand, when he was brought to justice on August 7, following his confession two days earlier at the police station on the island of Phangan.
By rejecting part of the charges, a procedure is initiated that includes a new declaration and examination of evidence that will culminate in a trial, which could be held between February and April 2024, as the Prosecutor’s Office explained to EFE.
EFE
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