GR 118025; (February, 1997) (Digest)
G.R. No. 118025 . February 12, 1997.
PEOPLE OF THE PHILIPPINES, plaintiff-appellee, vs. DR. REBECCO SATOR, accused-appellant.
FACTS
On July 4, 1987, Sharie-Ann “Susan” Marayan was last seen boarding a green Toyota car driven by Dr. Rebecco Sator, her alleged lover, near the Mabolo Police Station in Cebu City. Her burned corpse was discovered the following day in a remote barangay. The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) impounded two cars assigned to Sator’s wife. A forensic examination revealed hair strands in the baggage compartment of the green Toyota that were similar to those taken from the victim, indicating forcible removal. The victim’s mother also discovered love notes from Sator and an unsent letter from Susan expressing distress over their affair and her plan to leave Cebu. The victim was positively identified through fingerprint comparison, and the autopsy determined the cause of death as asphyxia by strangulation.
ISSUE
Whether the prosecution proved beyond reasonable doubt that Dr. Rebecco Sator is guilty of the murder of Sharie-Ann Marayan.
RULING
Yes, the Supreme Court affirmed the conviction. The Court found the circumstantial evidence sufficient to establish Sator’s guilt. The chain of circumstances, taken together, leads to no other reasonable conclusion than his culpability. These circumstances include: Sator was the last person seen with the victim; the victim’s burned body was found shortly after; hair strands similar to the victim’s were found in the baggage compartment of Sator’s accessible car; and the existence of their illicit affair, evidenced by the love notes and the victim’s unsent letter indicating personal turmoil. The Court rejected Sator’s alibi as weak, noting the proximity of the crime scene to his claimed locations and the lack of physical impossibility for him to have committed the crime. The testimony of an eyewitness, Ireneo Tangaro, who witnessed the strangulation, was deemed credible due to the lack of ill motive. The qualifying circumstance of treachery was present as the attack was sudden, ensuring the victim’s defenselessness. The penalty was modified to reclusion perpetua, the medium period of the penalty for murder.