SURAT THANI: A Spanish chef who admitted to killing and dismembering his Colombian lover on Koh Phangan said he did so because the latter had threatened to blackmail him and damage the reputation of his family in Spain, police said.
The Spaniard, Daniel Sancho Bronchalo, 29, has been detained for questioning after trash collectors found a black plastic bag constaining human parts at a garbage dump on the island. A DNA test of the parts proved to be of Edwin Arrieta Arteaga, a Colombian cosmetic surgeon, who Mr Sancho earlier reported as missing to Koh Phangan police.
During questioning, Mr Sancho told police he met Arrieta about a year ago after the latter contacted him on Instagram. They subsequently chatted by telephone and exchanged private pictures online.
They later met and had sex. Arrieta began to trust him and gave him 10,000 euros (about 380,000 baht) to open a restaurant in Spain. He also gave him a credit card.
The Spaniard said he in fact did not like homosexuality and already had a girlfriend. He tried to end his relationship with Arrieta but the Colombian man did not accept it.
According to the Spanish chef, Arrieta said if he ended the relationship he would post his private pictures on social media, and his family – particularly his father and grandfather, who are famous actors in Spain – would suffer a terrible scandal.
Mr Sancho said he then planned to kill Arrieta. He made an appointment for the Colombian to come to Koh Phangan for the Full Moon party. He booked a hotel room and stayed there only on the night of July 31. He booked another hotel room at Hat Salat beach, where he stored a knife and other tools he bought from a convenience store.
The victim: Colombian plastic surgeon Edwin Arrieta Arteaga, 44. (Photo: dredwinarrietacirujanoplastico Instagram)
Arrieta arrived on Koh Phangan at 2pm on Aug 3. Mr Sancho said he met the Colombian at the boat pier and took him on a motorcycle to the hotel room at Hat Salat. In the room, Arrieta made an advance on him and asked to have sex. He then punched Arrieta once in the face, knocking him out. He dragged the Colombian into the bathroom and threw water on him but he did not regain consciousness. He waited for about an hour before cutting the dead Arrieta into pieces, taking about three hours to complete the dismemberment.
At about 9pm, according to Mr Sancho, he went to buy a kayak. He then placed Arrieta’s body parts into a large duffel bag and several black plastic bags. He went out on the kayak twice, throwing the duffel bag and some of the plastic bags into the sea. He then made three trips to a garbage dump on the island, where he left the remaining bags of body parts.
Police examined the hotel room where the murder took place and found about 80,000 US dollars and a gold necklace, about two baht weight, which apparently belonged to the Colombian.
At 2pm on Monday, after the questioning, police took Mr Sancho on a speed boat to Koh Samui to seek court permission to further detain the suspect. He was then locked up in the Samui prison, pending further legal proceedings.
The actor Rodolfo Sancho, Mr Sancho’s father, was reported to have left Madrid, Spain, for Dubai where he would take a connecting flight to Thailand. He was expected to arrive on Koh Samui on Wednesday.
Arrieta’s relatives were also expected to arrive on Koh Samui at about the same time.
Meanwhile, a search for more body parts of the Colombian victim in the sea off Koh Phangan was carried out by divers and rescue workers on Monday.