G.R. No. 123456

PEOPLE OF THE PHILIPPINES, Plaintiff-Appellee,
vs.
JUAN DELA CRUZ, Accused-Appellant.

PROMULGATED: [Date]

D E C I S I O N

LEONEN, J.:

Before this Court is an appeal from the Decision of the Court of Appeals which affirmed with modification the Judgment of the Regional Trial Court finding accused-appellant Juan Dela Cruz guilty beyond reasonable doubt of the crime of Murder, qualified by treachery, and sentencing him to suffer the penalty of reclusion perpetua.

The factual and procedural antecedents are as follows:

An Information was filed charging Juan Dela Cruz with Murder for the killing of Pedro Santos. The prosecution alleged that on the evening of January 15, 2010, in Barangay San Isidro, Makati City, the accused, with deliberate intent to kill and with treachery, attacked and stabbed the unarmed victim several times, causing his instantaneous death.

During trial, the prosecution presented eyewitness Maria Clara, who testified that she saw the accused suddenly approach the victim from behind and without any warning or provocation, stab him repeatedly. Dr. Lee, the medico-legal officer, confirmed that the victim sustained multiple fatal stab wounds, primarily on the back, consistent with an attack from behind.

The accused interposed the defense of denial and alibi. He claimed he was at a different barangay attending a fiesta during the time of the incident. He presented several witnesses to corroborate his presence elsewhere.

The Regional Trial Court gave full credence to the testimony of the eyewitness, noting her clear and consistent narration of events. It found that the qualifying circumstance of treachery was duly proven, as the attack was sudden and from behind, rendering the victim unable to defend himself. The trial court rejected the defense of alibi for being weak and unsubstantiated, especially in light of the positive identification by the eyewitness. Accordingly, it convicted the accused of Murder and sentenced him to reclusion perpetua.

On appeal, the Court of Appeals affirmed the conviction but modified the damages awarded, increasing the amount of civil indemnity, moral damages, and exemplary damages in accordance with prevailing jurisprudence.

In his appeal before this Court, the accused-appellant raises the sole issue of whether the Court of Appeals erred in affirming his conviction despite the alleged failure of the prosecution to prove his guilt beyond reasonable doubt and to establish the qualifying circumstance of treachery.

RULING

The appeal is without merit. The conviction of accused-appellant Juan Dela Cruz for the crime of Murder is AFFIRMED.

I. Credibility of Witness and Proof of Guilt

The well-entrenched rule is that the assessment of the credibility of witnesses is a domain best left to the trial court, which had the unique opportunity to observe their demeanor, conduct, and attitude on the witness stand. Its findings are accorded great weight and respect, and will not be disturbed on appeal unless it overlooked, misunderstood, or misapplied some fact or circumstance of weight and substance.

In this case, the trial court found the testimony of eyewitness Maria Clara to be credible, straightforward, and consistent. Her positive identification of the accused as the perpetrator, corroborated by the physical evidence (the location and nature of the wounds), constitutes proof beyond reasonable doubt of the accused’s guilt. The defense of alibi cannot prevail over such positive identification. Alibi is inherently weak and must be established by clear and convincing evidence that the accused was at another place for such a period that it was physically impossible for him to be at the scene of the crime. The accused failed to prove this physical impossibility. His claimed presence at a fiesta in a neighboring barangay did not preclude the possibility of him being at the crime scene, as the distance was not so great as to make travel impossible.

II. Presence of Treachery

Article 14(16) of the Revised Penal Code defines treachery as the deliberate and sudden adoption of means of execution that ensure the safety of the offender from any defensive or retaliatory act on the part of the victim, who is thus deprived of the chance to defend himself.

The elements of treachery are: (1) the employment of means of execution that gives the person attacked no opportunity to defend himself or retaliate; and (2) the deliberate and conscious adoption of such means.

These elements are present here. The eyewitness testified that the accused approached the unsuspecting victim from behind and launched a sudden, unprovoked stabbing attack. The victim, who was unarmed and had his back turned, was given no opportunity to perceive the impending danger, much less to put up any defense. The nature, number, and location of the wounds—primarily on the back—corroborate the witness’s account and manifest a deliberate intent to employ a mode of attack that would ensure the execution of the crime without risk to the assailant. Treachery, therefore, qualified the killing to Murder.

III. Proper Penalties and Damages

The penalty for Murder under Article 248 of the Revised Penal Code, as amended by Republic Act No. 7659 , is reclusion perpetua to death. As no aggravating or mitigating circumstance attended the commission of the crime, the proper penalty is reclusion perpetua, in accordance with Article 63(2) of the Revised Penal Code. The trial court and the Court of Appeals correctly imposed this penalty.

With respect to damages, the Court modifies the awards in line with current jurisprudence. The accused-appellant is ordered to pay the heirs of the victim the following amounts:
Civil Indemnity: ₱75,000.00
Moral Damages: ₱75,000.00
* Exemplary Damages: ₱75,000.00

Furthermore, in accordance with prevailing rules, all monetary awards shall earn legal interest at the rate of six percent (6%) per annum from the date of finality of this judgment until fully paid.

WHEREFORE, the Decision of the Court of Appeals is AFFIRMED with MODIFICATION in the amounts of damages as stated above. Accused-appellant JUAN DELA CRUZ is found GUILTY beyond reasonable doubt of the crime of MURDER and is sentenced to suffer the penalty of RECLUSION PERPETUA. He is ordered to pay the heirs of Pedro Santos the amounts of Seventy-Five Thousand Pesos (₱75,000.00) as civil indemnity, Seventy-Five Thousand Pesos (₱75,000.00) as moral damages, and Seventy-Five Thousand Pesos (₱75,000.00) as exemplary damages. All monetary awards shall earn legal interest at the rate of six percent (6%) per annum from the finality of this judgment until fully paid.

SO ORDERED.

Gesmundo, C.J., (Chairperson), Caguioa, Lazaro-Javier, and J. Lopez, JJ., concur.