International
Daniel Sancho, before his sentence: “I am prepared for the best and for the worst”
The Spaniard Daniel Sancho claims to be “prepared for the best and the worst” before the sentence that will determine on August 29 whether or not he is guilty of the premeditated murder of Colombian surgeon Edwin Arrieta on an island in Thailand last year.
“I am prepared for the best and the worst,” Daniel Sancho told EFE on August 22 in Samui prison (southern Thailand) when asked how he faces the ruling, although he was optimistic and convinced that the judge will rule out that Arrieta’s death was due to a premeditated murder.
The Spaniard considered that during the trial “it was clear that it was an accident,” referring to Arrieta’s death on August 2, 2023 on the Thai island of Phangan, and cited the forensic evidence presented by the defense that, according to him, would prove that the death was due to a fight.
Sancho, 30 years old, made these statements during a visit to the prison and the conversation took place through a glass and a telephone without being able to record or take notes.
After more than a year in pretrial detention, the young man admitted that he lives impatiently waiting to know the sentence and that the months since the celebration of the trial, which ended last May, have become “very long.”
“Until the trial he was a man with a mission,” he said, and indicated that he spent a lot of time focused and preparing for the process, in which he played a very active role, since the judge allowed him to ask questions to the witnesses.
During the trial, held behind closed doors at the Provincial Court of Samui between April 9 and May 2, the accused and his defense team maintained that Arrieta’s death was due to an accident during a fight and that the Spaniard acted in self-defense in the face of an alleged attempted sexual assault.
The Prosecutor’s Office, for its part, tried to prove through dozens of evidence and witnesses, including the purchase of knives and a saw, that Sancho planned the previous days the murder and dismemberment of Arrieta, 44, whose remains were found in several places in Phangan, including the sea.
The autopsy performed at the Colombian surgeon was not conclusive because no key body parts such as the torso were found.
The Spaniard, who keeps the last few days before listening to the sentence his usual exercise and reading routine, had met with the Colombian surgeon, whom he knew since 2022, on the same day of the events.
The accused, who initially confessed to the crime to the Phangan Police, will go to the reading of the sentence next Thursday in the Samui court, where the trial was held in the midst of enormous media attention.
According to sources close to the case, the sentence is already drafted and has been sent for ratification to the office of the dean judge of Surat Thani (province on which Samui depends).
Sancho assured that it gives him “tranquility” and “confidence” in the process of this procedure, usual in Thailand for serious cases, both criminal and civil, that may involve high penalties or compensation.
The Thai penal code contemplates from 15 years in prison to the death penalty in cases of murder, although Thailand barely applies this last punishment and is usually commuted to lower ones.
Cases of involuntary manslaughter are punishable by between 3 and 15 years in prison.
The Spaniard is also accused of dismembering Arrieta’s body – of which he has pleaded guilty – and of making his passport disappear, crimes that could lead to between one and six years in prison, respectively.
Access to the courtroom during the reading of the sentence this Thursday will be very restricted, and the judge will not decide until the last moment who can enter, according to EFE.
It is planned, however, that the defendant’s father and mother, the Spanish actor Rodolfo Sancho and the investment analyst Silvia Bronchalo, will be present in the room, as well as the prosecutor, the Thai defense lawyers and those who represent the victim’s family in the Asian country.
Arrieta’s family will in principle not go to the reading of the sentence, and for the moment they have not wanted to make statements about how they face the ruling.
International
Rubio rules out 2028 presidential bid if Vance runs
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he would not seek the presidency in 2028 if current Vice President JD Vancedecides to run as the Republican nominee to succeed President Donald Trump.
“If JD Vance runs for president, he will be our candidate, and I will be one of the first people to support him,” Rubio said in an interview with Vanity Fair, in which he appeared alongside other senior members of the presidential cabinet.
Rubio, 54, and Vance, 41, are widely viewed as two of the leading Republican figures who could headline the party’s ticket in the 2028 election. Under the U.S. Constitution, Trump is barred from seeking another term after completing two presidential mandates.
In a lighthearted moment during the interview, Vance jokingly offered photographers $1,000 if they managed to make him look better than Rubio in the photos. Both leaders have received public backing from Trump, who last October floated the idea of a joint ticket featuring Rubio and Vance, without clarifying who would lead it.
“I think that if they ever teamed up, they would be unstoppable. I don’t think anyone would run against us,” Trump said at the time.
White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, who also took part in the interview, confirmed that Trump does not intend to violate the 22nd Amendment, which prohibits a third presidential term, though she acknowledged that the president is “having fun” with speculation about a possible return to office.
Rubio, the son of Cuban immigrants, served as a Republican senator from 2010 to 2025. He sought the party’s presidential nomination in 2016 but was defeated by Trump after a bruising primary contest. His name was floated as a potential vice presidential pick in 2024, but Vance ultimately secured the spot. After taking office, Trump appointed Rubio as secretary of state, making him the first Latino to hold the position.
International
Authorities search for armed and dangerous suspect in fatal Brown University attack
According to the statement, investigators are “seeking the public’s help to identify and speak with an individual” who was seen “near” the suspect at the time of the attack.
The Providence Police Department in Rhode Island released three photos of the person of interest, whose face has been blurred. In the images, the individual is wearing navy blue clothing, what appears to be a green hood, and carrying a light-colored backpack.
Earlier, authorities had released several photos and videos of a suspect described as “approximately 5 feet 8 inches tall, with a stocky build,” dressed in dark clothing, with their face covered by a surgical mask and wearing a beanie. The suspect’s identity remains unknown.
Authorities are offering a $50,000 reward for any information leading to the identification, arrest, and conviction of the person responsible for the killings, who is considered armed and dangerous.
The gunman opened fire on Saturday at Brown University’s engineering and physics building, where exams were being held, killing students Ella Cook and Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov. The names of the nine people injured have not been released.
International
Police investigate deaths of Rob Reiner and wife as apparent homicide
The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) is investigating the deaths of Hollywood actor and filmmaker Rob Reinerand his wife as an “apparent homicide,” amid a wave of tributes to the director of classics such as When Harry Met Sally.
According to U.S. media reports on Sunday, Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner were found dead at their Los Angeles mansion with what appeared to be stab wounds.
Several political figures shared messages of condolence following the reported deaths of the director of A Few Good Menand his wife.
While the LAPD did not officially confirm the identities of the victims, it stated that homicide detectives were dispatched to the Reiner residence.
“At this time, no additional details are available and the investigation into an apparent homicide is ongoing,” the Los Angeles Police Department said in a statement posted on social media.
LAPD Deputy Chief Alan Hamilton told reporters that no arrests have been made and that no individuals are currently being questioned as suspects.
“I’m not going to confirm whether anyone is being questioned at this moment or not. We are going to try to speak with as many family members as we can,” Hamilton said.
CNN reported that a family spokesperson confirmed the deaths of Reiner and his wife.
California Governor Gavin Newsom, former U.S. President Barack Obama, and former Vice President Kamala Harrisissued statements expressing their condolences.
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