GR L 46119; (May, 1939) (Digest)
G.R. No. L-46119-46121; May 12, 1939
THE PEOPLE OF THE PHILIPPINES, plaintiff-appellee, vs. IGNACIO BELTRAN and TEOTIMO BALTAZAR, defendants-appellants.
FACTS
On the evening of June 18, 1937, Florencio Laparan and his wife Simeona Castillo were shot while having supper in their house in Dasmariñas, Cavite. Florencio was killed and Simeona was wounded. The accused, Ignacio Beltran and Teotimo Baltazar, were charged with the murder of Florencio and the frustrated murder of Simeona. The trial court convicted both accused. They appealed, denying their identity as the assailants and claiming alibi. The prosecution’s primary evidence was the positive identification by the surviving victim, Simeona Castillo, who named the appellants as the perpetrators immediately after the incident and at trial. The alleged motive was the appellants’ resentment after Florencio refused to give them a fighting cock on June 1, 1937.
ISSUE
Whether the guilt of the appellants for the crimes of murder and frustrated murder has been proven beyond reasonable doubt.
RULING
Yes. The Supreme Court affirmed the convictions. The positive identification by eyewitness Simeona Castillo, who knew the appellants well and recognized them by the light in her house, was credible and sufficient to establish their guilt. The Court found no reason to disturb the trial court’s assessment of her credibility, dismissing minor inconsistencies in her testimony as natural given the traumatic event. The appellants’ defenses of alibi and the testimony of defense witnesses were weak and uncorroborated. The motion for a new trial based on newly discovered evidence from a convict was denied as coming from a polluted source and being unmeritorious. The penalties imposed by the lower court were affirmed.
AI Generated by Armztrong.