Nine years later, still no clarity on EDCA sites. I became a villain in the eyes of the citizenry that was crying for blood; but I was steadfast. [2][20], The court ruled that the Paraaque RTC was correct in sentencing Webb et al. As already mentioned, the SC concluded Alfaro to be not a credible witness because she did not meet these two criteria. In a decision dated January 6, 2000, Paraaque Regional Trial Court Judge Amelita Tolentino convicted Webb and the co . [12] (Under Philippine law, generally, alibi is the weakest defense, especially where there is direct testimony of an eyewitness, duly corroborated by another. "[29], The court maintained that for a person to be convicted there should not be "a reasonable, lingering doubt as to his guilt." Therefore, the applications of the SC on evaluating the defence of alibi of the accused have not been equally applied in these two cases.
Biong was released from jail on November 30, 2010, after serving his sentence. [4] In the Trial Court (People of the Philippines vs. Hubert Webb, et al., G.R. The prosecution did not present him as their witness during the trial. G.R. InVizconde case: Jessica Alfaros positive identification was rejected because she did not meet the test of a credible witness and that what she personally saw must be believable, not inherently contrived. Hopefully, if they will surface, public pressure will snowball and I will finally get the justice I am looking for, he said. Rey and Jerry claimed they saw Webb playing basketball between the months of June and July 1991 during a league in BF Homes. The majority of the justices also rejected as conjecture the argument of one of the dissenting justices, Martin Villarama Jr., that it would not have been impossible during the interregnum for Webb to travel back to the country and again fly to the US several times considering that the travel time on board an airline from the Philippines to San Francisco, and from San Francisco to the Philippines takes only about twelve (12) to fourteen (14) hours. White, on the other hand, said he saw the three cars enter the subdivision on the night of June 29, as Alfaro had testified; White also testified that policeman Gerardo Biong was the first to arrive at the crime scene. Webb had presented the alibi that he was in the United States when the crime was committed, but he was still found guilty by the Paraaque Regional Trial Court. Seven justices based its decision on the following points: Webb, citing Brady v. Maryland, said "that he is entitled to outright acquittal on the ground of violation of his right to due process given the States failure to produce on order of the Court either by negligence or willful suppression the semen specimen taken from Carmela." Credibility of a witness: In Vizconde case not credible, but credible in the Abadilla case. The court considered the accused's "lack of interest in having such test done" in which they concluded that the state "cannot be deemed put on reasonable notice that it would be required to produce the semen specimen at some future time".[29]. On December 14, 2010, the SC rendered its decision on the appeals of the accused, questioning the guilty verdict by the RTC and the CA. But her parents did not allow her to go. 5. Don't miss out on the latest news and information. Remember when I made the disclosure that someone is pressuring the justices to vote for a reversal? Massacre era. Webb's travel documents and other paper trail of his stay in the US are unreliable proof of his absence in the Philippines at the time of the commission of the crime charged. For example, I was the first one to report the shooting of 16-year-old Maureen Hultman and her boyfriend by the son of former chief justice Claudio Teehankee in 1991 in my column at theInquirer, because the girls stepfather, Anders, a Swede, came to myIsumbongoffice at Radyo Veritas. 'Ms. I stand by my story. Apart from Alejo, earlier there was another witness, Merlito Herbas. The ballistic test results also did not match to any of the firearms supposedly taken from the accused to the empty shells that were recovered at the crime scene. The SC, however, held that by failing to prove the existence of a relationship between Hubert and Carmela; and that the lover that Alfaro claimed that Carmela had met did not come forward in public or in court, her testimonies about the accused and the victims were like a piece of jigsaw puzzle trimmed to fit into the shape on the board but does not belong because it clashes with the surrounding pieces and the lover was a mere ghost of the imagination of Alfaro, the woman who made a living informing on criminals. Justice Secretary Leila de Lima yesterday said the government task force re-investigating the 1991 Vizconde massacre case has found another witness and was convincing him to come out in public and No. At the end of February, the Bureau of Fire Protection held a parade featuring some of its trucks and equipment as well as new regular personnel: women firefighters. Vizconde Massacre Case Digest - Philippine True Crime Stories | Martin Rules. On SPO2 Cesar Fortuna, the RTC, the CA and the SC, accepted the fact that he was at Camp Crame, but the SC affirmed the RTC and the CAs conjecture that it was not impossible for him to have gone to Katipunan road, Blue Ridge, which is relatively near Camp Crame when the shooting happened around 8.40 in the morning. 1. Massacre case in 1991 Webb was accused of raping Carmela Vizconde, 18, who was killed in her family's Paraaque home on June 30, 1991. From there she allegedly saw Lejano and Ventura take a knife from the kitchen drawer, while the rest of the gang acted as lookouts. Im still hoping for a miracle to happen. We use cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. Sign up now! [5] The other defendants were convicted by the Paraaque Regional Trial Court, which the Court of Appeals affirmed. She did not show up at the NBI as a spontaneous witness (only after four years) bothered by her conscience. The CA held that these ballistic results are inconclusive and can never prevail over appellants positive identification by eyewitness Freddie Alejo. Alfaro had testified that she knew the suspects and was at the Vizconde house when the crime was committed. Alfaro, who had "practically lived" at the NBI's offices, would have been able to hear about the details, and gain access to the documents, without difficulty. Webb was among the nine people convicted by Paranaque Regional Trial Court Branch 274 Presiding Judge Amelita Tolentino in January 2000 for the killings. [30], In three separate occasions, police authorities mistakenly arrested persons they believed to be suspect Joey Filart: a namesake in August 1995, the same person again in February 2000, and a person from Compostela Valley in March 2000. 176864. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Vizconde said he was optimistic about finding more witnesses.. Herbas and Alejo worked for the Abadillas as security guards. I told my family that I did my best. Webbs son, Hubert Jeffrey, is also the brother of a television host, Pinky, in one of the largest television networks in the country. vs. Raul de Leon et. The SC required this test as necessary before a testimony of positive identification could be accepted as credible and with merit. The trial of the case having been long concluded, the requirements of the law may have been satisfied, but not the demands of justice. On the night of June 29, 1991, Asuncion was supposed to have a sleepover with Jennifer at the latters home in Paraaque City. Please try again. In rejecting questions to Alejos credibility, the SC affirmed the CAs ruling that the credible testimony of a lone witness(es) assumes more weight when there is no showing that he was actuated by improper motive to testify falsely against the accused, as in the case of Freddie Alejo. [2] Lauro Vizconde, Estrellita's husband and the father of Carmela and Jennifer, was in the United States on business when the murders took place. The presumption leaned on is disputable and can be overcome by evidence to the contrary. No. I also updated them on the new twist in the investigation. So, some sectors are calling for Eleazars extension until after the May 2022 elections. They cannot be the bases of conviction as they cannot substitute for the constitutional requirement of proof of guilt beyond reasonable doubt. [23] On November 26, 2010, Lauro Vizconde voiced his concern to media about the purported lobbying of Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio for the reversal of the guilty verdict. Di naman ako puwede magtrabaho don (If that's the case, then I should have had a salary.
Biong walks free, insists he's innocent | ABS-CBN News [50], On January 18, 2011, the Supreme Court denied Lauro Vizconde's motion to reverse the acquittal because of double jeopardy. He also claimed to have heard Hubert shout, Putang ina nyo! The Vizconde murders remained unsolved for almost four years, until 1995 when eyewitness Jessica Alfaro, a self-confessed drug addict, came forward on April 28, 1995, to shed light on the massacre. No two persons have the same DNA fingerprint, with the exception of identical twins. The filming location took place in the actual home of the Vizconde's where the massacre took place on June 30, 1991. Alfaro also said that she bumped into Biong at the Faces Disco in Makati in March 1995 and relayed to her the offer of the group to give her a free ticket to the United States to shut her up. Besides the horror itself, the suspected perpetrators included high-society figures. al, 1995, G.R. Eleazar, a strict disciplinarian, is probably the only PNP chief who is loved and respected by the citizenry. 187745. Sources from the Department of Justice said Webb, who was acquitted by the Supreme Court last December, 2010, was in the country during and after the crime happened in . De Lima said they could still go after Filart and Ventura, as well as the Villadolid brothers, since the prescriptive period of 20 years for homicide does not apply to them because they were abroad. There was entry of (former senator) Freddie Webb leaving the country in March 1991 but no Hubert Webb, De Lima said. Anyone can be paid! Even if we were denied justice, I consoled them that at least people already know what really happened, he said. Includes gruesome real photos from the crime scene. I was a barbarian in my college years at the University of the Philippines. Based on the infamous and seemingly never ending 1991 Vizconde murder case in the Philippines where a woman and her two children; a teen daughter who was also raped and a 6-year-old, were all viciously stabbed to death while the husband was away in America on business. This policewoman is either ignorant of the law or plain lazy. I expected this decision because since the start, I knew that Jessica Alfaro was not entirely telling the truth. Defence of Alibi: In Vizconde case not admissible, in Abadilla case court acted on conjectures. Alejo confirmed these two (2) as the persons he saw from his guard post walking to and fro before the shooting incident. But both the RTC and the CA rejected his defence ruling that his alibi cannot stand against Alfaros positive identification of him as the rapist and killer. Birrer said she had accompanied Biong to the Vizconde house to destroy the evidence and to retrieve Webb's jacket and the murder weapon. Philstar.com is one of the most vibrant, opinionated, discerning communities of readers on cyberspace. All of us who have cases in court, dont we realize that if your opponent has money, brace yourself. [29], In his dissenting opinion, Justice Villarama argued that the claim of Webb that he could not have committed the crime because he left for the United States on March 9, 1991, and returned to the Philippines only on October 26, 1992, was correctly rejected by the Regional Trial Court and Court of Appeals.
Early Thursday, Lauro Vizconde went to Holy Cross Memorial Park and laid bouquets of roses on the tombs of his wife and daughters. Among those present were former Vice President Teofisto Guingona; Arsenio Boy Evangelista, father of carjack victim Venson Evangelista; Dacer-Corbito witness Cezar Mancao and his lawyer Ferdinand Topacio; and members of the Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption (VACC). Alfaro, upon explaining on how the house was ransacked, (the Paraaque police had earlier blamed house robbers as suspects), said that Ventura was looking for the front-door key and the car key. 4. Evid. The Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption(VACC) asked Justice Antonio Carpio and his cousin Justice Conchita Carpio-Morales to take a leave while the case is being decided to avoid undue influence on the court's decision. [15] The accused alleged that by rejecting 132 of the 142 pieces of evidence, Tolentino had set the tone for their conviction. Suspicions, no matter how strong they are, must never sway judgment. Former NBI official Pedro Rivera however dismissed as lies the testimony of Sacaguing saying that Agent Sacaguing had a record of notoriety in the NBI which prompted his transfer to remote places of assignment until his early retirement.
The Vizconde massacre: Justice not served - BusinessMirror No. Kaya laban lang tayo. I will kill you, brandishing a shiny revolver. All rights are reserved. Hong Kong She did not know nor met any of them. I would not have ended up like this if you had not neglected me).
The Vizconde Massacre: God, Help Us! - sirasa.dixiesewing.com VIZCONDE MASSACRE CASE: This case is about the gang rape and murder of a 19-year-old woman, the murder of her 7-year-old sister and their mother on June 30, 1991 at their home in Paranaque City, Metro Manila.