Cases of AC “serial killer” drag on for 6 years now

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    ANGELES CITY – Over six years after he hogged headlines as the alleged serial killer of three foreigners and several Filipinos in this city, computer technician Mark Dizon has yet to present evidence in his defense amid delays in the hearings of his case.

    Dizon has remained at the city jail in Barangay Sto. Domingo here since his arrest for several counts of murder, one count of illegal possession of fi rearms, and three counts of robbery before the Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 58 in this city.

    A source from the Public Attorney’s Offi ce (PAO) who asked not to be named for lack of authority to speak on the cases, said the prosecution has not fi nished presenting its witnesses against Dizon.

    The source also said hearings on the cases have slowed down after the retirement of Branch 58 judge Philip Iturralde, as his replacement judge Meredith Malig is also a judge at the RTC in Guagua town.

    But the source said, however, that up to this time, government lawyers assigned to defend Dizon are at a loss on who to present as witnesses. “Dizon himself has not cited any witness to establish his innocence,” the source added.

    The case with Branch 58 concerned only one of the series of killings attributed to Dizon. This case involved the fatal shooting of retired US Air Force MSgt. Albert Mitchell, 70, and his wife Janet and their househelps Isabel Fajardo, Marissa Prado and Yulberto Catli in their home in Hensonville Court Subdivision in Barangay Malabanias here on July 22, 2010.

    Government prosecutors initially said they would present 16 witnesses in the cases against Dizon, but admitted all evidences against Dizon were “circumstantial.”

    Dizon was arrested in San Fernando, La Union on July 27, 2010, fi ve days after the last of a series of murders all committed here in the same month. He was also the suspect in the murder of South African national Geoff rey Allan Bennun, 60, and his live-in partner, Abegail Helina, 20, whose decomposing bodies were found inside their house at Oasis Hotel and Villas in Clarkville Compound in Barangay Anunas here on July 12 in the same year.

    Police said Dizon was also the suspect in the murders on July 16, 2010 of Briton James Bolton Porter, 51, and his live-in partner, Melissa Madarang, 22, in their house at 4-11A Nicolas Street in Sta. Maria Subdivision in Barangay Balibago here.

    The carjacking and theft charges dated back to 2003, for which a warrant of arrest was issued against Dizon in 2005, although he was not arrested then, Dizon had pleaded not guilty to the charges.

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