Case Digest (G.R. No. 82696)
Facts:
People of the Philippines v. Noelito Manzanares, G.R. No. 82696. September 08, 1989, Supreme Court Second Division, Sarmiento, J., writing for the Court; Melencio‑Herrera (Chairman), Paras, Padilla, and Regalado, JJ., concur.On March 1, 1985, an information was filed in the Regional Trial Court (RTC) of Valenzuela, Metro Manila, charging Noelito Manzanares and two others — Alejandro alias Danding Manzanares and Danny Manalayon — with the murder of Rolando Frias allegedly committed on January 3, 1985, in Malanday, Valenzuela. Only Noelito (the appellant) was apprehended and tried; the other two accused remained at large.
At arraignment the appellant pleaded not guilty. The prosecution presented two eyewitnesses: Lydia Salvador Frias (the victim’s wife) who testified that Noelito approached and stabbed her husband and that Alejandro and Danny then repeatedly stabbed the victim; and Vilma Bonacwa, a disinterested neighbor who testified to seeing the appellant and Danny chase and then stab the victim. Dr. Alberto Reyes (NBI medico‑legal) testified regarding seven stab wounds, two of which were fatal. The appellant denied participation and advanced an alibi, claiming he was sleeping inside the ACA compound at the time and later went to work in Makati; he also sought to impugn Lydia’s credibility by alleging past animosity between their families.
The RTC, after trial, found the appellant guilty of murder and on September 9, 1987 sentenced him to reclusion perpetua and ordered civil indemnities and funeral expenses. The appellant appealed, raising (1) that the trial court erred in giving full credence to prosecution witnesses and disre...(Subscriber-Only)
Issues:
- Did the trial court err in giving full weight and credence to the prosecution witnesses and in disregarding the theory of the defense (credibility of witnesses)?
- Was the evidence insufficient to convict the appellant of murder (sufficiency of evidence and applicability of defe...(Subscriber-Only)
Ruling:
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Ratio:
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Doctrine:
- (Subscriber-Only)