G.R. No. L-30421 - People vs. Ybanez, Jr.

The case involves the killing of Fructuoso Donayre during a heated altercation that arose during a game of chance (hantak) at a dance hall in Barrio Palhi, Baybay, Leyte on the evening of February 24, 1968.
The dispute originated over a missing fifty-centavo bet, which led to suspicions against Donayre, culminating in an argument involving Ybanez, Loreto, and Donayre.

According to testimony, during the altercation, Ybanez struck Donayre with a piece of wood, while concurrently, Paulo Lara unsheathed his samurai knife and stabbed Donayre.
Eyewitness accounts indicate that as the commotion escalated, due to confusion when the light from a kerosene-filled Pepsi-Cola bottle was extinguished, Lara mistakenly believed that Donayre was advancing towards him, prompting his fatal action.
Witness Felix Gallo clearly testified that he saw Ybanez hitting Donayre and Lara stabbing him with a samurai knife, while Beato Lao also observed Ybanez attacking with a pointed weapon.

Following the incident, Ybanez fled from the scene, and as he passed by Editha Lara’s store, he was seen throwing an ice pick into her basket with a remark indicating that he was leaving it behind.
A subsequent police investigation led to the collection of the ice pick and a samurai knife from the scene, both of which were later linked to the autopsy findings.
Witness testimonies, including that of Editha Lara and the barangay captain’s observation, further established the presence and actions of the accused at the scene.

The postmortem examination conducted by Dr. Emilio B. Martinez on Donayre’s body revealed:

A series of stab wounds of varied lengths and depths located on the left chest and abdomen, with three wounds determined to be mortal.
Evidence that two separate weapons were used in the attack—the samurai knife and another pointed instrument, likely the ice pick.
The fatal sequence involved primary shock from severe hemorrhage, hemothorax, and hemoperitoneum.

The autopsy report provided detailed measurements and trajectories of the wounds, corroborating the accounts of multiple assailants.

Paulo Lara surrendered the day after the incident and subsequently executed a detailed affidavit describing how both he and Ybanez had stabbed Donayre, including statements made when they were briefly cellmates in jail.
Lara’s testimony included references to confrontations and instances where Ybanez allegedly solicited his cooperation in assuming sole responsibility for the killing in exchange for money, which Lara declined.
Ybanez later appealed his conviction alleging:

Discrepancies in the prosecution witnesses’ testimonies.
That only Lara should be held responsible for the fatal assault.
His defense of an alibi, claiming he was at his aunt Aquilina Domaguing’s house at the time of the crime, a claim that was undermined by contradictory testimony regarding the proximity of the location and timing.

The reliability of key prosecution witnesses’ testimonies, including that of Felix Gallo, Beato Lao, and Editha Lara, was questioned by appellant Ybanez.
Discrepancies pointed out in the testimony of defense witness Susana Locheros regarding weapon usage and the identification of the assailants were central to the issue.

Whether both Ybanez and Lara, by inflicting fatal wounds separately but simultaneously, should be held equally responsible as principals in the homicide of Donayre.
The contention by Ybanez that only Lara was the true assailant in light of conflicting testimonies.

Evaluation of Ybanez’s defense of alibi alleging his presence at his aunt’s house, which was challenged due to the short distance from the crime scene and timing inconsistencies.
The legal standard requiring proof that the accused was in another place for an unequivocally established period to rule out his presence at the crime scene.