A regional trial court in Tarlac has convicted dismissed Police Senior Master Sergeant Jonel Nuezca for double murder after finding him guilty for killing 52-year-old Sonia Gregorio and her son Frank Anthony five days before Christmas last year, and sentenced him to suffer 40 years imprisonment.
In an 18-page joint decision, Paniqui, Tarlac RTC Branch 106 Judge Stella Marie Gandia-Asuncion found Nuezca guilty beyond reasonable doubt for two counts of murder.
“We commend the prosecution and the honorable judge for the speedy disposition of this case. It shows that if we all put our hearts into it, we can really make the administration of justice a little more efficient,” Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said.
For the murder of the elderly Gregorio, the RTC judge ordered the former cop to pay the victim’s heirs P100,000 of civil indemnity, P100,000 as moral damages, P100,000 as exemplary damages, P126,280.00 as actual damages, and P50,000 as temperate damages with interest rate of six percent per annum from the finality of the decision until fully paid.
The lower court also required Nuezca to pay the same amounts of compensation to the heirs of 25-year-old Frank Anthony.
Citing the established facts, Judge Asuncion ruled it was clear that there was treachery in the commission of the crimes.
“The attack made by the accused was so swift and sudden that the victims were not able to defend themselves. The shots fired were made in quick succession. Hence, the attack made is treacherous. The attack came unexpectedly at a time where the accused is holding the shorts of victim Frank Anthony and while victim Sonia is embracing Frank Anthony,” the court said.
“The suddenness and succession of the shots fired by the accused indeed rendered the said victims helpless to retaliate the attack made by the accused. The argument that the attack which is made in front of the victims is of no moment and does not discount that treachery does not exist. Treachery as an aggravating or attendant circumstance was established by the prosecution beyond reasonable doubt,” it added.
