GR L 623; (May, 1948) (Digest)
G.R. No. L-623; May 26, 1948
PEOPLE OF THE PHILIPPINES, plaintiff-appellee, vs. GAUDENCIO ALIBAY, ET AL., defendants-appellants.
FACTS
On June 13, 1944, in Zumarraga, Samar, appellants Gaudencio Alibay, Loreto Tizon, and Jesus Tizon, together with Santiago Carpina (who was later killed), went to the house of Lorenzo Odquin. They tied Odquin’s hands, took him and his wife Sotera Gayondato from their home, and brought Odquin to an uninhabited place called Puro. The appellants later returned without Odquin. The motive appeared to be a grudge from a prior gambling session where Alibay lost. The following day, members of the B.C. (Boluntaryong Civil) captured the appellants. During an investigation at the house of barrio lieutenant Zacarias Lim, the appellants admitted their participation in the killing and pointed out the burial site. The body of Odquin was exhumed, revealing multiple stab wounds, including serious injuries to the neck, abdomen, and back. At trial, the prosecution presented witnesses, including the victim’s wife and the arresting soldier, who testified to these events.
ISSUE
Whether the guilt of the appellants for the crime of murder has been proven beyond reasonable doubt.
RULING
Yes. The Supreme Court affirmed the trial court’s judgment finding the appellants guilty of murder. The Court found the testimonies of the prosecution witnesses—Sotera Gayondato, Juliano Lotoc, Zacarias Lim, and Emilio Cuazon—to be positive, straightforward, and convincing. These testimonies conclusively established that the appellants kidnapped Odquin, killed him, and buried his body. The appellants’ immediate post-capture admissions and their act of pointing out the burial site, leading to the exhumation of the corpse, further corroborated their guilt. The appellants’ defense that Santiago Carpina alone was responsible was rejected as contrary to the evidence and fraught with contradictions and improbabilities (e.g., Alibay’s unnatural inaction despite Odquin being his brother-in-law). The penalty of reclusion perpetua and the order to indemnify the heirs were upheld.
AI Generated by Armztrong.