Case Digest (G.R. No. 131736-37)
Facts:
People of the Philippines v. Joey Manlansing y Ambrosio, and Mario Manlansing y Ambrosio, G.R. Nos. 131736-37, March 11, 2002, the Supreme Court En Banc, Quisumbing, J., writing for the Court.Appellants Joey and Mario Manlansing, brothers and former tenants of spouses Magin and Jorja Soriano, were charged by amended informations (Dec. 30, 1994) with two counts of murder arising from the double killing of the Sorianos on the night of December 27–28, 1994. The two informations were consolidated. On arraignment Joey pleaded not guilty; Mario pleaded guilty to both counts. After waiving pre-trial, both cases proceeded to trial in the Regional Trial Court (RTC) of Cabanatuan City, Branch 27.
Police investigators found the bodies, wounds consistent with different instruments, and a six-inch bloodstained knife at the scene; a bolo was later recovered where Mario had hidden it. Autopsy testimony placed the time of death between 10:00 P.M. Dec. 27 and 3:00 A.M. Dec. 28 and opined that the nature and depth of wounds indicated more than one assailant. Fingerprints lifted at the scene matched two prints of Joey. During custodial investigation Joey admitted striking Jorja to keep her from shouting and implicated Mario as the killer; Mario confessed and later, during re-enactment and trial testimony, described planning and executing the attack and affirmed his confession in open court. A balut vendor rebuttal witness testified he saw two bloodstained persons leaving the Sorianos’ house that night and was threatened by them.
The RTC convicted both brothers of two counts of murder and sentenced each to death, and ordered payment of P250,000 actual and P500,000 moral damages per count. The case reached the Supreme Court by a...(Subscriber-Only)
Issues:
- Did the trial court err in convicting both appellants (Mario and Joey) for conspiring to kill the Sorianos and holding Joey criminally responsible beyond reasonable doubt?
- Did the trial court err in qualifying the offense as murder and imposing the death penalty on appellants?
- Were the awards of actual, moral, and civil indemnity damages by...(Subscriber-Only)
Ruling:
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Ratio:
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Doctrine:
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