GR L 6409; (March, 1911) (Digest)
G.R. No. L-6409, March 10, 1911
THE UNITED STATES, plaintiff-appellee, vs. TOMAS CRUZ, defendant-appellant.
FACTS
Tomas Cruz, a schoolteacher, was accused of attempted rape against Maria Montemayor, the 20-year-old daughter of his host, Domingo Montemayor. The incident allegedly occurred on October 21, 1909, in the Montemayor home in Pangasinan. According to the prosecution, Cruz found Maria alone in the kitchen, made indecent proposals, threw her to the floor, and attempted to rape her until her father and aunt arrived. However, during the preliminary investigation before the justice of the peace, Maria initially testified that Cruz had done nothing wrong and that they were merely sitting together in the sala. She changed her testimony after her father intervened, telling her to “tell the truth,” and after the justice of the peace threatened to jail her father for speaking. The defense presented a different version: Cruz and Maria were conversing in the sala when her father arrived, became angry upon finding them alone, and forced Cruz to leave the house. The trial court convicted Cruz of attempted rape, sentencing him to prision correccional.
ISSUE
Whether the prosecution proved beyond reasonable doubt that Tomas Cruz committed attempted rape.
RULING
No. The Supreme Court reversed the conviction and acquitted Tomas Cruz. The Court found the prosecution’s evidence unreliable due to material inconsistencies and the coercive circumstances surrounding Maria’s testimony. The initial exculpatory statements made by Maria and her aunt during the preliminary investigation, which they later retracted, cast serious doubt on the alleged crime. The Court noted that the supposed attempt occurred in broad daylight, in a populated area where screams would easily attract attention, making the prosecution’s version improbable. The defense’s accountthat Domingo Montemayor fabricated the charge out of anger upon finding Cruz alone with his daughterwas deemed more credible. Thus, reasonable doubt existed, warranting acquittal. Costs were imposed de oficio.
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