GR 34866; (August, 1931) (Digest)
G.R. No. 34866 ; August 18, 1931
THE PEOPLE OF THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS, plaintiff-appellee, vs. SEVERA JACA and PROCESO RASALAN, defendants. PROCESO RASALAN, appellant.
FACTS
Proceso Rasalan and Severa Jaca were charged with infanticide for the killing of Severa Jaca’s newborn child to conceal her dishonor. After a separate hearing, the trial court acquitted Severa Jaca but convicted Proceso Rasalan and sentenced him to life imprisonment. Rasalan appealed, challenging the credibility of prosecution witnesses and the admissibility of his alleged confession (Exhibit C).
ISSUE
Whether the trial court erred in convicting Proceso Rasalan of infanticide based on the evidence presented, including witness testimony and his alleged confession.
RULING
No, the trial court did not err. The Supreme Court affirmed the conviction. The prosecution evidence, including the testimonies of eyewitnesses Aurea Zabella and Agapita Navaja (relatives of Rasalan) who saw him asphyxiate the child, and Tomas Jaca who testified about Rasalan’s admission of the killing, was credible and sufficient. The Court also found Rasalan’s confession (Exhibit C) to be voluntarily made. The killing constituted murder under Article 409(3) of the Penal Code, as Rasalan was not an ascendant of the child. The penalty of life imprisonment was affirmed, but the indemnity was eliminated by majority vote.
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