Daniel Sancho is on trial for the death and dismemberment of Colombian surgeon Edwin Arrieta in Thailand. Speculation surrounding the nature of the defendant's relationship with the victim has sparked audience interest.
HBO Max has launched an exclusive interview with Rodolfo Sancho, and Darling Arrieta, sister of the murdered man, has offered exclusive statements for Telecinco. In this type of news coverage, the protection of honor, privacy, and one's own image is a fundamental right included in the Constitution, which collides with that of information and freedom of expression, says Gonzalo León, a lawyer specializing in Criminal Law at the Vilches Abogados law firm. His family requested precautionary measures against Mediaset last November, but, weeks later, the court denied the request "among other reasons because there was no necessary urgency," León points out. The expert considers that, despite "how excessive and even morbid" the media coverage surrounding this case may be, he has hardly seen any television moments that could be the subject of a complaint. Although he does believe that specific content "could have a legal profile. Rodolfo Sancho and Edwin Arrieta's relatives have received financial compensation for their television appearances. Vilches Abogados believes that it would not harm them from a legal point of view if, in the future, one of the two parties decides to take legal action for some of the content offered by the media. The trial for the Sancho case is being held in Thailand, "but let's remember what happened with Dolores Vázquez," says Hugo Aznar, doctor of Philosophy and professor of Communication Ethics at the CEU Cardenal Herrera University of Valencia. In recent years, Mediaset Espaa has been sentenced to pay various public figures compensation ranging from 50,000 euros (to the writer Luca Etxeb) to the murder of Diana Quer (to Roco Wanninkhof). The media that rewarded the sources encouraged slander in the Arny case, says Aznar. The self-regulation of the media in this type of coverage involves mainly "respecting the presumption of innocence, which is fundamental, as well as respect for privacy, especially that of family members."