GR 44620; (February, 1937) (Digest)
G.R. No. 44620 ; February 15, 1937
THE PEOPLE OF THE PHILIPPINES, plaintiff-appellee, vs. AMIN MADLI, defendant-appellant.
FACTS
The accused, Moro Amin Madli, was convicted of parricide for killing his wife, Mora Jamura. They had been living separately, and after Jamura refused reconciliation, the accused entered her father’s house at midnight and killed her with a hatchet while she slept. The accused claimed a different version, alleging he was there to elope and that his father-in-law accidentally struck Jamura while attacking him. Both the trial court and the Supreme Court found this defense improbable and held the crime proven beyond reasonable doubt.
ISSUE
What is the proper penalty to be imposed on the accused, considering the aggravating and mitigating circumstances?
RULING
The Supreme Court affirmed the judgment of the trial court. The penalty for parricide under Article 246 of the Revised Penal Code is reclusion perpetua to death. The Court considered the aggravating circumstances of treachery, premeditation, dwelling, and nighttime, and the mitigating circumstance of the accused’s lack of instruction. However, due to the lack of unanimity among the Court members required by law for imposing the death penalty, the Court upheld the penalty of reclusion perpetua, plus an indemnity of P1,000 to the heirs of the deceased.
AI Generated by Armztrong.