Home Headlines Court cites weak evidence vs. Jee Ick Joo murder ‘brains’

Court cites weak evidence vs. Jee Ick Joo murder ‘brains’

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ANGELES CITY- The failure of the prosecution to present “evidence of guilt” has led the court here to grant bail to police Lt. Col. Rafael Dumlao III who was tagged as “mastermind” in the murder of Korean businessman Jee Ick Joo in October 2016.

This, as the court also issued a travel ban against Dumlao whom it said was a “flight risk.”

“The Court has concluded that the prosecution was not able to prove that the evidence of guilt of accused Dumlao is strong at this point in the proceedings,” said Judge Irin Zenaida Buan of Regional Trial Court, Branch 56 here in a 32-page document imposing a P300,000 bail bond for Dumlao.

Dumlao was tagged as mastermind in the case by SPO3 Ricky Sta. Isabel who was the first to be arrested in the case of Jee who was abducted from his home in this city on Oct. 18, 2016. The Korean was brought to Camp Crame where he was killed on the same day.

The abductors later contacted Jee’s wife Choi Kyung-jin for ransom. The wife paid them P5 million in a meeting at a supermarket parking lot here, but her husband never surfaced as he had already been slain, his body already cremated by a funeral parlor in Caloocan City.

Apart from Dumlao and Sta. Isabel, who was tagged as the one who strangled Jee to death at Camp Crame, the others accused included civilian Jerry Omlang who was allegedly involved in the abduction, funeral parlor owner Gerardo Santiago, PO2 Christopher Baldovino, and SPO4 Roy Villegas who was later considered state witness. Villegas identifi ed Sta. Isabel as the one who killed the Korean.

But Buan said the testimonies of both Baldovino and Villegas on the alleged communication between Dumlao and Sta. Isabel did not prove Dumlao was involved in the killing of Jee.

“What is telling from the testimony of witness Villegas that cast doubt to (sic) complicity of the accused Dumlao in the killing of the victim is his declaration that after the accused Dumlao and SPO3 Sta. Isabel talked in Camp Crame, the latter returned to them appearing angry and exclaimed to them that he (Sta. Isabel) will already call the shots and no longer accused Dumlao,” Buan said in her decision.

Noting “very weak” evidence against Dumlao, Buan stressed, however, that “this conclusion is without prejudice to the Court’s later determination of the guilt (beyond reasonable doubt) of all the accused based on subsequent/additional evidence or testimony both from the prosecution and the defense.”

The court, however, denied the petition for bail filed by Sta. Isabel and Omlong.

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