Facts:

• Gelasio Castellon and Tranquilino Salac were defendants in a murder case, with the United States as the plaintiff.
• The incident occurred on January 18, 1907, in Curog, where the defendants were working in a rice field owned by Hermogenes Tino.
• The motive for the crime was Simon Cubado's abusive behavior towards Natalia David, Salac's mother.
• Castellon and Salac conspired to kill Cubado after informing Natalia, who consented to their plan.
• Castellon attacked Cubado with a bolo, striking him in the neck, while Salac stabbed him in the abdomen with a lilig.
• Witness Simon de los Santos intervened but was injured during the altercation.
• Cubado managed to report the incident to the guardhouse but died from his injuries shortly after.
• Castellon and Salac were arrested the next day, found with bloodstains on their clothes, and initially denied involvement but later confessed, implicating Natalia David.
• On February 6, 1907, a murder complaint was filed against all three, resulting in Natalia receiving reclusion perpetua and Castellon and Salac receiving 15 years of cadena temporal.
• The defendants appealed, but Natalia died in prison before the appeal was resolved.

Issue:

• (Unlock)

Ruling:

• The court affirmed the trial court's finding of guilt against Gelasio Castellon and Tranquilino Salac for murder.
• The court upheld the penalties imposed on Castellon and Salac as appropriate under the ...(Unlock)

Ratio:

• The court found the evidence compelling, establishing the defendants' guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
• The attack on Simon Cubado was premeditated and executed treacherously, with Castellon striking from behind.
• Cubado's dying declaration, identifying Castellon as the ...continue reading