Case Digest (G.R. No. L-26241)
Case Digest (G.R. No. L-26241)
Facts:
People of the Philippines v. Jose Vicente, Ernesto Escorpizo, Alfredo Bedonio and Ambrocio Cabiles, Jr., G.R. No. L-26241, May 21, 1969, the Supreme Court En Banc, Reyes, J.B.L., Acting C.J., writing for the Court. The prosecution (plaintiff-appellee) charged the four defendants (appellants) with murder for the stabbing and killing of Jaime Mariano Soriano on the evening of 29 October 1965 in front of the public market of Asingan, Pangasinan.On 29 October 1965 Soriano was attacked and received numerous wounds; the Municipal Health Officer’s autopsy (Exhibits E and E-1) described multiple stab and cut wounds—several of which were fatal—inflicted by at least two different sharp instruments and a broken bottle, and placed time of death between about 7:00 and 8:30 p.m. On 30 October 1965 a criminal complaint was filed in the Municipal Court of Asingan; the information was later filed in the Court of First Instance of Pangasinan as Crim. Case No. 22747‑I (18 April 1966), charging the four with conspiracy and treacherous murder.
At trial the prosecution relied chiefly on eyewitness Virgilio Sarmiento, who testified that he saw Jose Vicente confront Soriano, draw a dagger and stab him repeatedly; Ernesto Escorpizo allegedly stabbed Soriano after he fell, while Alfredo Bedonio and Ambrocio Cabiles, Jr. were said to have pelted the fallen victim with stones. The defendants pleaded alibi. Each defendant also had a purported extra‑judicial statement (Exhibits A, B, C) said to have been signed before Mayor Leonardo Carbonell; the defendants later claimed those papers were signed under duress or without knowledge of their contents.
The Court of First Instance of Pangasinan, by decision dated 8 June 1966, found all four guilty of murder characterized by treachery and sentenced them to life imprisonment, ordered indemnity of P6,000, and costs. The defendants appealed to the Supreme Court, raising principally the credibility of witnesses and the weight to be given the extra‑judicial confessions; the appeal presented the single core issue of witness credibility.
Issues:
- Was the trial court’s credibility determination—accepting eyewitness identification by Virgilio Sarmiento and the probative weight of the extra‑judicial statements (Exhibits A, B, C)—erroneous?
- Whether Jose Vicente and Ernesto Escorpizo should be convicted of murder or whether their participation is of a lesser degree (e.g., accomplice)?
- Whether Alfredo Bedonio and Ambrocio Cabiles, Jr. should be convicted or acquitted because of reasonable doubt concerning their specific roles?
Ruling:
- (Subscriber-Only)
Ratio:
- (Subscriber-Only)
Doctrine:
- (Subscriber-Only)