G.R. No. 227748 June 19, 2019
PEOPLE OF THE PHILIPPINES, Plaintiff-Appellee vs. EDDIE VERONA, Accused; EFREN VERONA AND EDWIN VERONA, Accused-Appellants

FACTS

On October 27, 1998, in Tanauan, Leyte, the Veronas—Dioscoro, Eddie, Edgar, Efren, Edwin, and Rogelio—attacked a passenger jeepney. Dioscoro and Eddie flagged it down. Edgar then attempted to stab the driver but hit a passenger instead. As the jeepney fled, conductor Manuel Tingoy was seen holding onto the rear step board. Prosecution eyewitness Eva Castaño, who was riding a motorcycle behind the jeepney, testified that she saw Efren and Eddie stab the victim on the back, causing him to fall. While Manuel lay on the ground, Edwin hacked him on the head and body, and Edgar also hacked him. Dioscoro stood guard with a bolo. The victim died from multiple fatal stab wounds. The defense claimed that only Edgar and the victim were involved in a mutual fight, and that Edwin intervened only to help his brother Edgar. The RTC convicted the accused of Murder, a ruling affirmed by the CA. Only Efren and Edwin appealed to the Supreme Court.

ISSUE

Whether the Court of Appeals correctly affirmed the conviction of accused-appellants Efren and Edwin Verona for the crime of Murder.

RULING

Yes, the Supreme Court affirmed the conviction. The Court upheld the factual findings of the lower courts, giving great weight to the credible and positive identification made by eyewitness Eva Castaño. Her testimony was clear, consistent, and remained unshaken on cross-examination. She knew the appellants even before the incident and had a clear vantage point from twelve meters away. The Court found her account more credible than the appellants’ denial and their alternative narrative of a lone fight between Edgar and the victim, which was inherently improbable given the number and severity of the victim’s wounds. The qualifying circumstance of treachery was correctly appreciated. The attack was sudden and unexpected, denying the unarmed victim any opportunity to defend himself. The manner of execution—stabbing him from behind as he clung to the jeep and then hacking him as he lay defenseless on the ground—directly and specifically ensured the execution of the crime without risk to the assailants. Conspiracy was established by the appellants’ collective and concerted actions in flagging down the vehicle, surrounding it, and successively attacking the victim, demonstrating a common purpose to kill. Consequently, as co-conspirators, the criminal act of one is the act of all. The penalty of reclusion perpetua was imposed, and the awarded damages of ₱75,000 civil indemnity, ₱75,000 moral damages, and ₱30,000 exemplary damages, all with 6% interest from finality until paid, were affirmed.