GR 42941; (July, 1935) (Digest)
G.R. No. 42941; July 25, 1935
THE PEOPLE OF THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS, plaintiff-appellee, vs. TOMAS DOMINGUEZ, defendant-appellant.
FACTS
Tomas Dominguez, a policeman in Silay, Occidental Negros, was charged with homicide for allegedly beating detention prisoner Diego Apinan with a cachiporra (police stick) on the night of November 12-13, 1932, causing intracranial hemorrhage and death. The prosecution presented witness Calixto Balidio, who testified hearing blows and cries for help from the prisoner. Two conflicting post-mortem reports were submitted: the first, by government doctors, concluded Apinan died of cardiac failure due to chronic heart disease, with no significant external injuries or skull fracture. The second, by private doctors hired by the deceased’s family, initially reported a skull fracture and intracranial hemorrhage as the cause of death, but this was contradicted when the exhumed skull showed no fracture.
ISSUE
Whether the guilt of the accused for the crime of homicide has been proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
RULING
No. The Supreme Court acquitted Tomas Dominguez, holding that his guilt was not proven beyond a reasonable doubt. The Court found the medical evidence inconclusive and contradictory. The private doctors’ report of a skull fracture was discredited when the exhumed skull revealed no fracture, casting doubt on their overall credibility. The government doctors’ findings of death due to natural causes (cardiac failure) remained unrebutted. The witness testimony alone was insufficient to establish guilt given the unreliable medical evidence. The prosecution failed to meet the required standard of proof.
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