Benaojan gunman admits guilt
The accused gunman in the killing of mediaman George Benaojan on
The Regional Trial Court yesterday re-arraigned the accused, Jinky Jagdon, this time for homicide after the prosecution and the defense signed a plea-bargain agreement that resulted in the lowering of the charge from murder to homicide.
With the guilty plea to homicide, Jagdon now faces a minimum imprisonment period of eight years or a maximum of 12 years.
Prosecutor William Canta said the offer to plea bargain was proposed by the defense early this month but was made formal only yesterday. The private complainant also consented to the agreement and signed by Benaojan’s mother herself.
The mother intimated earlier that, two years since the death of his son, it is about time that this should be put to rest by the termination of the case and the admission to the crime by the accused.
In his arraignment in February last year, Jagdon, who was a professional boxer, refused to enter a plea insisting through his lawyer, Rameses Villagonzalo, that he was only framed to the crime and that he objected to the filing of a murder charge against him.
After the killing, it was only in January last year when Jagdon surrendered to authorities supposedly to clear his name and deny involvement in the shooting. He blamed two drug dealers instead for framing him up by linking him to the murder.
Benaojan’s friend, Adriano “Jammy” Llanos, 40, earlier tagged Jagdon as the gunman. He said that while he was talking with Benaojan outside the stalls in the Talisay City Central Market, Jagdon shot Benaojan at close range.
Besides his being a broadcaster and commentator of radio DyDD, Benaojan was also a correspondent of Banat News, the sister publication of The Freeman. — Joeberth M. Ocao/RAE
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