A Spanish man on trial for allegedly murdering his partner, a Colombian surgeon, has pled not guilty to some of the charges against him. According to an AP report, 29 year old Daniel Sancho Bronchalo, a well-known chef in Spain, pleaded not guilty to 2 charges at the Koh Samui Provincial Court yesterday, November 13.
The dismembered body of 44 year old Edwin Arrieta Arteaga was found in plastic bags at a landfill site on Koh Pha Ngan last August. Bronchalo was arrested shortly after and has been charged with premeditated murder, concealing a body, and destruction of another’s documents.
It’s understood the suspect pleaded not guilty to the charges of premeditated murder and destruction of another person’s documents, while pleading guilty to the charge of concealing a body. According to the AP report, a charge of premeditated murder carries a potential death penalty.
Police say that after Arteaga’s dismembered body was found, Bronchalo visited the station to report a missing person and was arrested. He subsequently confessed to the murder and dismemberment of Arteaga, and to disposing of his body parts at the landfill site and in the ocean. He denied the murder was premeditated.
According to the court, Bronchalo has requested a new court-appointed lawyer. His current lawyer has refused to comment on the development. The media was also banned from filming the suspect as he arrived at court, where his father, the Spanish actor Rodolfo Sancho, was in attendance.
SOURCE: AP News
