Celebrity chef’s naked photos ‘led to murder’: YouTuber ‘was blackmailed by older lover who threatened to reveal intimate images if their relationship ended’
- Chef Daniel Sancho Bronchalo, 29, is the son of a pair of Spanish film stars
- He has admitted to murdering and dismembering Edwin Arrieta Arteaga, 44
A celebrity chef who has been charged with murdering his lover in Thailand saw killing him as the only option after he was allegedly blackmailed with intimate images, according to reports.
Daniel Sancho Bronchalo, 29, the son of two Spanish film stars, was arrested for the killing and dismemberment of Columbian surgeon Edwin Arrieta Arteaga after Thai police found body parts in a rubbish dump.
Before the killing, the YouTuber chef is believed to have wanted to split from Arrieta, 44, which the doctor refused to allow – reportedly threatening to publish pictures of his partner.
Sancho – who is the son of Spanish actor Rodolfo Sancho Aguirre and actress Silvia Bronchalo – is said to have been so worried about the pictures ruining his family’s reputation that he decided to kill Arrieta, Thai news outlets report.
The couple, who were holidaying on the popular island of Koh Phangan, are said to have met to attend the famous Full Moon Party techno event before the gruesome murder took place.
The YouTuber chef is believed to have wanted to split from Arrieta, 44, which the doctor refused to allow – reportedly threatening to publish intimate pictures of his partner
Police say the body of Edwin Arrieta Arteaga (pictured) was found dismembered in a rubbish tip on the island of Koh Pha Ngnan on Thursday
A Thai police officer escorts Spanish Daniel Sancho Bronchalo on suspicion of murdering and dismembering a Colombian surgeon from Koh Phagnan island to Koh Samui Island court, southern Thailand, Monday, Aug. 7, 2023
Details of the killing emerged last week with reports of plastic bags containing body parts of a man being discovered at a landfill site on the island. These were later identified by police as belonging to Arrieta.
Sancho came in to report a missing person after the body parts were found and was subsequently detained.
He reportedly told authorities that the two had a romantic relationship and that he tried to break up with the ‘obsessed’ victim, but that he refused.
It has also been reported that Arrieta invested 10,000 euros in one of the chef’s restaurants.
The Spaniard reportedly said: ‘It ended up destroying my relationship with my girlfriend.
‘He was obsessed with me and wanted to do business with me. He put money into my company. It was all a lie.’
The social media influencer later confessed to killing and dismembering Arrieta and then dumping the body parts in the landfill and the sea, although he denied that it was premeditated, police said.
Authorities have now suggested that he had been planning the killing even before Arrieta arrived on the island from Colombia.
New CCTV images, shared by Bild, are said to show the chef buying the tools he allegedly used for the murder from a supermarket.
‘The investigation showed that Daniel Sancho had prepared himself thoroughly. He bought items to make the body go away,’ said Police Lt. Gen. Surapong Thanomjit, commissioner of the local provincial police.
Police have not yet ruled out that jealousy may have been a motive for the bloody deed or that Sancho could have feared separation from his partner.
A still image from CCTV video appears to show Sancho and his partner riding a scooter together in the days before Arrieta’s death
Police officers stand behind a cordon at a rubbish tip where Mr Arrieta’s body was found
A handout photo made available by Royal Thai Police shows Spanish chef Daniel Jeronimo Sancho Bronchalo, 29, sitting next to evidence and a police officer
Thai police forensic officers investigate a garbage dump site as they search for parts of the body of a Colombian surgeon in Koh Phagnan island
Sancho’s arrest warrant was issued by the Koh Samui Provincial Court on Saturday. His charge could result in a death sentence, authorities have said.
READ MORE: YouTube chef facing the death penalty for killing and dismembering gay lover
Sancho meanwhile told Spanish news agency EFE Arrieta was obsessed with him and had kept him ‘hostage’.
CCTV footage showed by local broadcaster Thai PBS showed Sancho and Arrieta on a motorcycle together days before the remains were discovered.
Regional police chief Surapong Thanomchit told the public broadcaster that Sancho was seen buying a knife, garbage bags and cleaning solutions before Arrieta’s death.
Sancho’s father starred in El Ministerio del Tempo (The Ministry of Time), while his mother is also a respected actor.
His uncle, Felix Sancho, told journalists in Spain: ‘A little respect for the family is all we ask for, because this is so painful.’
A family spokesperson previously asked for ‘maximum respect, both for Daniel Sancho himself and for the whole family, in these delicate moments of maximum confusion’.
Spanish chef Daniel Sancho Bronchalo (C), is escorted by Thai police officers to the court from Koh Phangan police station on Monday
A handout photo made available by Royal Thai Police shows a Spanish chef, a murder suspect Daniel Jeronimo Sancho Bronchalo, (C) is escorted by Thai police officers during a crime reenactment at a scene in Koh Phangan island, southern Thailand, August 6
A handout photo made available by Royal Thai Police shows a Spanish chef, a murder suspect Daniel Jeronimo Sancho Bronchalo, (R) is escorted by Thai police officers during a crime reenactment
The Spanish Embassy in Bangkok told reporters it was aware of a crime involving a Spanish man but declined to give further information due to data protection legislation.
Colombia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs shared a statement on its website Sunday thanking the Thai police for their investigation and said it is providing assistance to the family of the victim.
Koh Pha Ngan is a popular tourist destination for Eurpopean travellers, drawing thousands of backpackers to its notoriously wild parties and famed for white sandy beaches.
In 2014, another tourist island Koh Tao was rocked by the double murder of two young British backpackers.
Two Burmese nationals are serving sentences of life imprisonment for the murders, but rights groups have accused Thai authorities of using the men as scapegoats.
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