Case Digest (G.R. No. L-51367)
Facts:
- Philip Valdemoro was convicted of murder by the Circuit Criminal Court in Masbate on April 6, 1973.
- He was sentenced to imprisonment from ten years and one day of prision mayor to twelve years and one day of reclusion temporal.
- Valdemoro was ordered to indemnify the victim's heirs, Josefino Rejuso, in the amount of P15,000 and to pay court costs.
- Co-accused Federico Vargas and Rolando Cos were acquitted.
- The case was elevated to the Court of Appeals, which affirmed the conviction on July 30, 1979, but modified the penalty to reclusion perpetua.
- The Information filed on July 26, 1972, charged Valdemoro and others with murder for shooting Josefino Rejuso.
- The case was transferred to the Circuit Criminal Court due to a conflict of interest.
- The defense presented a written confession from Ricardo Arcueno, who claimed responsibility for the murder, but the trial court dismissed the charges against him.
- Prosecution witnesses Reynaldo Khiong and Nylon Espenilla testified that they saw Valdemoro shoot Rejuso without provocation.
- The defense sought to discredit the prosecution's witnesses and argued against the dismissal of Arcueno's case.
Issue:
- (Unlock)
Ruling:
- The Supreme Court affirmed the Court of Appeals' judgment, upholding Valdemoro's conviction for murder and sentencing him to reclusion perpetua, along with ac...(Unlock)
Ratio:
- The Supreme Court found no error in dismissing the charges against Ricardo Arcueno due to insufficient evidence linking him to the crime.
- The court emphasized that the prosecution has discretion to dismiss cases lacking competent evidence, which did not violate Valdemoro's right to due process.
- Arcueno's confession was deemed not credible, as he was not identified by eyewitnesses and his account contained implausibilities.
- The testimonies of...continue reading
Case Digest (G.R. No. L-51367)
Facts:
The case involves Philip Valdemoro, the defendant-appellant, who was convicted of murder by the Circuit Criminal Court, 10th Judicial District, in Masbate, Masbate, on April 6, 1973. The court sentenced him to imprisonment ranging from ten years and one day of prision mayor as a minimum to twelve years and one day of reclusion temporal as a maximum. Additionally, he was ordered to indemnify the heirs of the victim, Josefino Rejuso, in the amount of P15,000 and to pay the costs of the proceedings. Co-accused Federico Vargas and Rolando Cos were acquitted. The case was elevated to the Court of Appeals, which affirmed the conviction on July 30, 1979, but modified the penalty to reclusion perpetua. The case was then brought before the Supreme Court for review.
The Information filed on July 26, 1972, charged Valdemoro and others with murder for shooting Josefino Rejuso, resulting in his death. Due to a conflict of interest, the case was transferred to the Circuit Criminal Court. During the trial, the defense presented a written confession from Ricardo Arcueno, who claimed responsibility for the murder. However, the trial court dismissed the charges against Arcueno, citing a lack of competent evidence linking him to the crime. The prosecution's witnesses, including Reynaldo Khiong and Nylon Espenilla, testified that they witnessed Valdemoro shoot Rejuso without provocation. The defense attempted to discredit the prosecution's witnesses and argued that the trial court erred in d...