G.R. No. L-1625 and L-1626; August 30, 1949
THE PEOPLE OF THE PHILIPPINES, plaintiff-appellee, vs. LORENZO PINEDA, defendant-appellant.

FACTS

Early in the evening of November 5, 1946, spouses Justiniano and Maria Arcilla were killed and buried in a common grave in Bamban, Tarlac. Lorenzo Pineda, a tenant, had asked Justiniano Arcilla (an overseer) for a ration of four cavans of palay but was granted only one cavan, while others received two. Disgusted, Pineda informed his co-defendants (who were at large during his trial). That evening, Pineda and his co-defendants surrounded the Arcilla house, tied the spouses, led them to a pre-dug hole, and struck them on the head with a carbine butt, killing them. Witnesses, including Pineda’s son-in-law and a relative, were compelled to dig the hole and were threatened not to reveal the crime. After an investigation prompted by a Huk runner’s information, Pineda was arrested and executed an affidavit confessing his participation. Two informations for murder were filed against him and his co-defendants.

ISSUE

Whether the conviction of Lorenzo Pineda for the murder of the Arcilla spouses is proper based on the evidence presented.

RULING

Yes, the conviction is affirmed. The alibi presented by Pineda (that he did not leave his house that evening) is insufficient to overcome the positive and credible testimonies of prosecution witnesses, who are his own relatives and had no ill motive against him. The evidence established a motive—Pineda’s resentment over receiving only one cavan of palay while others got two. His extrajudicial confession (Exhibit A) was deemed voluntary, as his claim of third-degree methods was not credible, supported by his wife’s testimony that she noticed no signs of maltreatment. The court found him guilty of two counts of murder and sentenced him to reclusion perpetua for each, with indemnity to the heirs, the total imprisonment not to exceed 40 years pursuant to Article 70 of the Revised Penal Code.

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