The family of Colombian surgeon Edwin Arrieta, whose death in Thailand is at the center of a civil claim against Spanish national Daniel Sancho, is pursuing compensation in Thai courts. The civil action seeks 410,000 euros in damages for liability related to the surgeon’s death on the Thai island of Phangan on August 3.
According to the claim, which has been accessed by EFE, the parents and sister of Arrieta, Ana Marcela Artega, Leovaldo José Arrieta, and Darling Arrieta Artega, demand 410,000 euros for civil liability following the 44-year-old surgeon’s killing on Phangan.
Sancho remains in provisional detention on the island of Samui since August 7 and faces charges of premeditated murder and the dismemberment of Arrieta. He is scheduled to stand trial in Thailand starting April 9.
Valuations
The document explains that the amount was set after considering factors such as Arrieta’s annual income of around 30,000 euros and the financial dependence of his parents, who are aged 76, and who received approximately 900 euros monthly from him. The claim contends that they have fallen into poverty since his death.
It notes that the parents’ health was robust before their son’s death but has since deteriorated, with episodes of depression, anxiety, and recurring health issues that require medical treatment.
The filing places 79,200 euros on legal representation and the repatriation of Arrieta’s remains to Colombia. It adds that the deceased was 44 years old at the time of the “brutal murder,” implying a remaining working life of about 18 years and referencing Colombia’s life expectancy of 73 years. This is used to argue that he could have lived an average of 29 more years.
The Arrieta family, represented by a Madrid-based law firm, will appear at the trial against Sancho as co-accused through Thai lawyers.
Trial from April 9 to May 3
The parents of Arrieta are expected to testify during the trial, scheduled from April 9 to May 3 in a Samui court. Their lawyers have requested permission for video testimony due to the parents’ advanced age and the high cost of traveling from Colombia to Thailand.
The Thai prosecutors accuse Sancho, aged 29, of premeditated murder, a charge he denies, insisting that Arrieta died during a fight.
Sancho and Arrieta reportedly met via Instagram about a year before the incident. They were together on August 2 on the Thai island, and Sancho was formally detained on August 5 after confessing to authorities on Phangan.