A Quezon City trial court wants to reschedule its promulgation of judgment on a carjacking with homicide case against three suspected members of a crime syndicate who allegedly abducted and killed a son of Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption (VACC) president Arsenio Evangelista 11 years ago.
Evangelista told the Manila Standard he was informed of the planned resetting of sentencing from Feb. 3 to Mar. 5 to allow for the presence of journalists during the event.
Evangelista said a Quezon City told him about the request of Regional Trial Court (RTC) Judge Rafael Hipolito to be given more time to prepare his ruling on the case.
According to Evangelista, senior deputy state prosecutor Richard Anthony Fadullon called up the trial prosecutor a week ago to coordinate with the court on “the presence of media during the promulgation.”
He said Hipolito has yet to consult the RTC executive judge and the Court Administrator about the matter.
The case involved the murder of Venson Evangelista who reportedly went missing on Jan. 13, 2011 while working as a used-car salesman in Cubao, Quezon City.
The boy’s burnt body was found later in Barangay Biliran, Cabanatuan City.
Case records showed that the victim disappeared after he entertained three men who pretended to buy a second-hand sports utility vehicle from the shop in Cubao.
Venson allowed the two suspects to test drive the vehicle, but offered to go with the purported buyers.
Set for sentencing in the case were Rolando Talban, believed to be a member of the Dominguez
carnapping group, and his co-accused identified as Roger Dominguez and Jayson Miranda.
