Case Digest (G.R. No. 110107)
Facts:
People of the Philippines v. Dolores Lorenzo y Corsino, G.R. No. 110107. January 26, 1995. First Division, Davide, Jr., J., writing for the Court.The appellant, Dolores Lorenzo y Corsino (a policewoman), was charged with parricide in an information filed with the Regional Trial Court (RTC), Tuguegarao, Cagayan, on 30 March 1992 (Criminal Case No. 2060-92-TUG). The information alleged that on 30 July 1990 she, armed with a bolo and a fan knife, with intent to kill and with treachery and evident premeditation, attacked and fatally wounded her husband, Agapito Lorenzo, and that the aggravating circumstance of cruelty was present.
At trial before Branch 5 of the RTC, the prosecution presented Barangay Captain Isabelo Liban and SPO1 Jose Eclipse. The defense presented the appellant and Romeo Racheta. The prosecution's account was that a tricycle driver reported a stabbing; Eclipse proceeded to the scene, met the appellant who surrendered a blood-stained bolo and fan knife and allegedly told him "I killed my husband," and Eclipse then brought her to the police station where he reported the surrender and her admission, which was recorded in the police blotter. The defense maintained that a neighbor, Robert Santos, actually killed Agapito after a quarrel and that the appellant collapsed in shock, later recovering to find her husband dying; she claimed she did not confess and only surrendered the weapons.
The RTC, after hearing witnesses and assessing the evidence, found the prosecution witnesses credible, ruled that the appellant's statement to Eclipse constituted an extrajudicial confession (admissible because she was not under custody or investigation when she spoke), rejected the defense story as a concoction, and convicted the appellant of parricide on 24 February 1993, sentencing her to reclusion perpetua and ordering damages of P50,000 to the heirs.
The appellant appealed ...(Subscriber-Only)
Issues:
- Did the trial court err in crediting the testimonies of prosecution witnesses SPO1 Jose Eclipse and Barangay Captain Isabelo Liban?
- Was the guilt of the accused proven beyond reasona...(Subscriber-Only)
Ruling:
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Ratio:
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Doctrine:
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