G.R. No. L-3048 December 28, 1950
THE PEOPLE OF THE PHILIPPINES, plaintiff-appellee, vs. MORO MAMACOL, defendant-appellant.

FACTS

The defendant-appellant, Moro Mamacol, was convicted of murder for the shooting death of Roman Dagodob and sentenced to life imprisonment. The prosecution’s case relied primarily on the testimony of the victim’s widow, Apontok Mamangcas, who claimed that around midnight, after hearing a gunshot, she peeped through a hole in the wall and saw Mamacol outside carrying a carbine in the moonlight. Her stepdaughter, Mistar, allegedly also saw Mamacol but was not presented in court due to illness. The investigating officer, Lt. Payocan, testified that upon arrest, Mamacol remained silent when accused by the witnesses. The defense presented an alibi, corroborated by witnesses, and claimed that during an earlier investigation by Captain Arumpac, both Apontok and Mistar had stated they did not see the killer because it was nighttime. This claim was not contradicted.

ISSUE

Was the guilt of the accused proven beyond a reasonable doubt?

RULING

No. The Supreme Court reversed the conviction and acquitted the appellant. The testimony of the lone eyewitness, the widow, was found not credible and unconvincing. The Court noted the inconsistency between her court testimony and her alleged prior statement to investigators that she did not see the killer because it was dark. Her act of peeping through the hole was deemed to have likely occurred only after the household was aroused and the assailant had presumably fled. The prosecution failed to meet the required quantum of proof of guilt beyond reasonable doubt.

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