GR L 1115; (April, 1948) (Digest)
G.R. No. L-1115; April 30, 1948
THE PEOPLE OF THE PHILIPPINES, plaintiff-appellee, vs. FRANCISCO SEPILLO, ANSELMO SEPILLO, CEFERINO SEPILLO, and ANTONIO SILANG, defendants-appellants.
FACTS
On September 28, 1944, Sabino Ilagan was taken from his house in Sariaya, Quezon, by four armed men—the appellants Francisco Sepillo, Anselmo Sepillo, Ceferino Sepillo, and Antonio Silang. He was brought to an uninhabited area, beaten to death with blunt instruments, and buried. His body was exhumed in April 1945. The prosecution presented witnesses: the victim’s widow, Romana Manalo, who testified to the kidnapping; Segundo Dagos, who witnessed the beating; and Manuel Sasuya and Domingo Pagsuyuin, who were forced to dig the grave. The defendants interposed alibis, claiming they were elsewhere at the time (e.g., in jail, in another town, or working as a forced laborer). They also pointed to other individuals as the perpetrators. The trial court convicted all four of murder.
ISSUE
Whether the trial court erred in convicting the appellants of murder and in denying their motion for a new trial based on newly discovered evidence.
RULING
The Supreme Court affirmed the conviction. The appellants’ alibis were weak and uncorroborated by credible evidence. The prosecution witnesses provided consistent and credible testimonies establishing that the appellants, acting in concert, kidnapped and killed the victim. The defense’s alternative theory implicating other individuals was deemed unreliable and full of contradictions. The motion for a new trial was properly denied as the proffered new evidence was merely cumulative and could have been discovered with due diligence. The crime committed was murder, qualified by treachery, and all four appellants were principals. With no mitigating or aggravating circumstances, the proper penalty is reclusion perpetua. The indemnity to the heirs was affirmed.
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