G.R. No. L-3457 October 31, 1951
THE PEOPLE OF THE PHILIPPINES, plaintiff-appellee, vs. IGMEDIO SAMSON, alias LUIS, ET AL., defendants. IGMEDIO SAMSON, GAUDENCIO EDADES, ALFREDO SALINAS, and FRANCISCO AQUINO, defendants-appellants.

FACTS

On June 1, 1948, Pedro Velasco was invited by Igmedio Samson, Gaudencio Edades, and Alfredo Salinas to rob a bakery in Bayambang, Pangasinan. Velasco later met the group, which included Francisco Aquino and Alejandro Velasco, at the bakery. That evening, one of the group first entered the bakery to buy items. They later returned armed; Samson and Edades had revolvers, and Aquino had a revolver and a dagger. Salinas guarded the doorway. Inside, the inmates were ordered to lie down and were tied up. Aquino forced an inmate, Ching Liong Hua (Bonking), to open drawers from which P1,700 and a Bulova watch were taken. Another watch was taken from Bonking. A laborer, Federico T. Reyes, escaped and reported the robbery to the police. Sergeant Gregorio de Vera and patrolman Tamondong responded. As they approached, Alfredo Salinas fired two shots, killing Sergeant De Vera instantly. The malefactors escaped. Nearly nine months later, Pedro Velasco was questioned due to a remark he made about the gun used in the killing. He confessed and implicated Samson, Edades, Salinas, Aquino, and Alejandro Velasco. The implicated individuals were arrested. The bakery inmates identified three of the defendants, and all four appellants (Samson, Edades, Salinas, Aquino) gave affidavits admitting participation. The trial court convicted them of robbery in band with homicide and sentenced each to reclusion perpetua, with indemnities. Pedro Velasco was discharged to testify for the state. Alejandro Velasco and Manuel D. Cereno were acquitted. The appellants raised alibi defenses and claimed their confessions were extracted through torture.

ISSUE

Whether the trial court erred in convicting the appellants of robbery in band with homicide based on the evidence presented, including their confessions and identifications, despite their defenses of alibi and claims of torture.

RULING

The Supreme Court affirmed the trial court’s judgment. The Court found the appellants’ alibi defenses weak and uncorroborated by credible evidence. Their claims of torture to invalidate their confessions were not substantiated; for instance, Aquino’s hemoptysis was medically attributed to a lung lesion, not maltreatment, and the tearing of Samson’s shirt resulted from a jail fight, not police abuse. The identification of the appellants by the bakery victims was deemed reliable, as it occurred under electric light and after several previous failed identification attempts. The Court found no reason to disturb the conviction.