People v Morada

G.R. No. 129723 May 19, 1999 THE PEOPLE OF THE PHILIPPINES, plaintiff-appll, !". #$NILO MOR$#$ y T%MLO#, a&&'"(-appllant. MEN#O)$, *.+ F$TS+ Danilo Morada was charged, tried and convicted of the crime of murder for the killing of  one Jonalyn Navidad in the Municipality of Imus, Cavite. The victim, Jonalyn Navidad, !, was found, with several hack wounds on the head, near a creek. "he was taken to the hospital, #ut she died shortly after.

$ne "%$& 'ome( )mem#er of %N% Imus* was the first to arrive at the crime scene after receiving the report of the incident. +e together with rgy captain of the place searched the surrounding area and there they found a pair of slippers with a thum#tacks em#edded in the insteps where one of the #ystanders recogni(ed said pair of slippers as those of Morada. "%$& 'ome( and the rgy captain therefore proceeded towards the house of appellant Morada and found a stained T-shirt hanging from a tree more or less a meter away from appellants house. +e accordingly took said T-shirt as he suspected the red stain on it to #e human #lood. /lso a meter away from the side of the house, he recovered a #olo with a stain on it. The police asked Morada whether he knew anything a#out the crime, #ut the latter did not answer and 0ust kept 1uiet. +e then 2invited2 Morada to the police station for  1uestioning and during oral interrogation, accused admitted that he had hacked Jonalyn Navidad. +owever, this alleged confession was not taken down into writing allegedly #ecause there was no availa#le lawyer to assist accused-appellant at that time Moradas defense, he testified that he had no knowledge of the crime and interposed a ali#i. +e also assails the admissi#ility admissi#ility of the polices statement statement as to his 3confession4 3confession4 #y saying that he was #eaten up to make him admit to the killing of Jonalyn Navidad.  /ppellant  /ppellant has also repeatedly repeatedly wrote the court and the police while in custody 1uestioning the validity of his arrest and the sei(ure of his #elongings #ut these were not heeded  5ltimately, the trial court rendered its decision finding accused-appellant guilty of the murder of Jonalyn Navidad and imposed on him the penalty of death 6 hence, this automatic appeal where the following issue has #een raised7 

ISS%E+ 8$N the trial court erred in finding him guilty #eyond reasona#le dou#t of the crime of  murder #ased purely on circumstantial evidence9

HEL#+   :;". The decision of the Imus