G.R. No. 29474 , November 17, 1928
PEOPLE OF THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS, plaintiff-appellee, vs. FELIX SORIA, defendant-appellant.

FACTS

On the evening of October 22, 1926, a group of boys were boxing on the riverbank in Ilocos Sur. The deceased, Rosendo Abiang, who appeared intoxicated, joined and boxed with one of the boys, Magno Pascua. After the bout, Abiang took the boxing gloves (owned by Telesforo Soria) and threatened to cut them. Upon learning this, Telesforo Soria, the appellant Felix Soria, and Dominador Pimentel went to recover the gloves. They found Abiang, who had already returned the gloves. The prosecution’s evidence alleged that despite this, Telesforo took Abiang’s bolo, and Felix struck Abiang with his fist, an iron bar, and a brass knuckle, and later returned to strike him again with the iron bar. The defense claimed no violence occurred. The next day, Abiang was examined by Dr. Antonio Nolasco, who found soreness in his larynx and esophagus, with only slight swelling. Abiang’s condition worsened, and he died on November 18, 1926. An autopsy revealed death was due to septicaemia from an abscess in the esophagus, which could have been caused by a blow but not by weapons like an iron bar or brass knuckle without leaving external marks.

ISSUE

Was the guilt of the defendant, Felix Soria, for the crime of homicide proven beyond a reasonable doubt?

RULING

No. The Supreme Court reversed the judgment of the Court of First Instance and acquitted Felix Soria. The Court found that the prosecution failed to prove his guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. Key reasons included: the improbability of the sequence of attacks with different weapons without leaving external marks, the possibility that injuries were sustained during the boxing contest, the uncertain causation between the alleged blows and the abscess that led to death nearly a month later, and the fact that the deceased’s physician was not informed of any ill-treatment during his visits. The evidence created reasonable doubt as to whether the defendant inflicted the fatal injury.