THE Department of Justice on Tuesday held its first preliminary investigation hearing on the criminal charges hurled against two Philippine National Police Highway Patrol Group personnel who killed an arrested motorcycle rider last July 29.
PO2 Jonjie Manon-og and PO3 Jeremiah de Villa, who showed up before the DoJ for the first hearing on charges of murder, torture and robbery filed by the family of victim J dela Riarte, appealed for extension of time within which to file their answers to the complaint.
Investigating Assistant State Prosecutor George Yarte Jr. granted the request but only gave them 10 days or until the next hearing on Aug. 26 to submit the required answer.
During the hearing, the National Bureau of Investigation also submitted to the prosecutor findings of its investigation, as well as personal belongings of the victim recovered from the crime scene.
The NBI also turned over its autopsy report, indicating that the victim sustained four gunshot wounds. But this was contrary to the forensic findings submitted by complainant that showed seven gunshot wounds based on autopsy conducted by the Public Attorney’s Office (PAO).
The Riarte family was represented by chief public attorney Persida Rueda-Acosta during the hearing.
In the complaint, PAO said that its investigation showed that the victim was shot five times near the heart, liver and hips in a manner Acosta described as “execution style.”
It rejected the official pronouncement of HPG that Dela Riarte resisted arrest.
PAO cited the video taken by the star witness, which showed Dela Riarte being punched in the stomach with a gun, slapped on the face, and elbowed on the back by the respondent.
Besides murder and torture charges, the respondents were also slapped with robbery charge after it was found in investigation that the victim was carrying over P33,000 in cash during the incident.
