Daniel Sancho Bronchalo was sentenced to life in prison after he confessed to killing his plastic surgeon boyfriend Edwin Arrieta Arteaga, 44, and dismembering his body
A YouTube chef dismembered his partner and disposed of his body in plastic bags in a horrific murder.
Daniel Sancho Bronchalo, 31, confessed to murdering his plastic surgeon boyfriend, Edwin Arrieta Arteaga, on a Thai party island.
The shamed chef also admitted to dismembering Dr Arteaga’s body last August when their argument over “sex and money” reached a boiling point. It comes after a woman, 20, was found dead on bus with 26 iPhones glued to her body.
The couple had been holidaying in Koh Pha Ngnan – known for its all-night Full Moon Parties – when the crime took place. Police discovered parts of Arteaga’s body at a landfill in Koh Phangan in early August 2024. Around the same time, Bronchalo went to the police to report that Dr Arteaga, 44, was missing.
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Bronchalo, the son of two Spanish film stars, initially claimed at his trial that the two had a fight after Dr Arteaga allegedly attempted to sexually assault him.
He then alleged that the Colombian surgeon fell as the fight escalated, hitting his head on a bathtub before losing consciousness and dying.
Bronchalo had denied premeditated murder – but then confessed to chillingly dismembering Dr Arteaga’s body and throwing his lifeless remains into the sea. He led police to seven sites around the island, where he disposed of Dr Arteagae’s body in plastic bags.
CCTV footage obtained by police showed the chef buying a knife, rubber gloves, waste bags, and cleaning chemicals at a convenience store prior to Arrieta’s death, which prosecutors argued strengthened the claim of premeditated murder.
According to the police, Bronchalo then confessed to the murder and stated that he planned it because Dr Arteaga threatened to disgrace him and his family by revealing their sexual relationship.
The shamed YouTube chef was sentenced to life in prison. Initially, he was given the death penalty, but the Koh Samui provincial court decided to give him a life sentence instead due to his co-operation during the trial, according to local police officer Paisan Sangthep.
Bronchalo initially also received a four-month prison sentence for concealing or damaging a body, but this was reduced to two months as he admitted to the horrific act.
He as also ordered to pay 4 million baht (£89,000) in damages to Dr Arteaga’s family.
Daniel Sancho Bronchalo is the son of renowned Spanish actors Rodolfo Sancho Aguirre and Silvia Bronchalo, both 50. They were present at the Koh Samui Provincial Court where their son was sentenced last summer.
Bronchalo’s case caused a stir in Spain, and HBO has produced a Spanish-language documentary based on the chilling events.
Last August, it was reported that the chef had dismembered his lover’s body into 14 separate pieces, packed them into a suitcase, and then kayaked out into the sea to scatter them. Body parts were also scattered around the island.
Local residents found Mr Arteaga’s remains – including his hips and thighs – in a rubbish tip on the island, according to the police.
Police Lieutenant General Surapong Thanomjit said at the time: “The suspect has confessed to being the one who killed Edwin Arrieta Arteaga and dismembered the body.
“He put the parts in a suitcase and left them in the sea. He claimed that the victim was angry when he refused to sleep with him. Then he punched him in the head, causing him to fall over and hit the bathtub, so he cut the body to disguise the death. Investigators found traces of the victim’s body in the hotel room the suspect booked.”
The famous chef had filed a missing persons report for Edwin following the murder.