Man faces parricide raps for wife's slay

CEBU, Philippines - The suspect in the killing of a Carcar native who also happened to be a niece of actress Angel Locsin is now facing a parricide case.

Prosecutor Richard Abangan Sr. indicted Fernando Sansan for parricide after he found probable cause to the complaint filed by Joe Mari Salvador, brother of victim Rachelle Marie Salvador, that Sansan stabbed his wife.

Abangan said he sent a subpoena to the accused but the latter did not submit any controverting evidence to deny the allegations against him. Abangan recommended no bail for the accused.

However, according to SPO1 Norman Lapiña of the Carcar Police Station, the accused is nowhere to be found.

Joe Mari said that sometime last November 4, 2010 around 10:30 a.m. the accused and his wife were quarrelling inside their house in Sitio Kapatagan, Barangay Perrelos, Carcar, then the accused stabbed her repeatedly, causing her death.

Antonio Monteron, a neighbor of the couple, said he heard the quarrel between the accused and his wife since they lived nearby.

Monteron said he saw the accused come out of the house after the quarrel and together with a certain “Nang Elen” got into a car and drove away.

Abangan resolved the case through the basis of the evidence of the complaint.

He added even though no one actually saw the killing of the victim, the circumstances as depicted by the evidence presented by the complainant constitutes circumstantial evidence which indirectly proves a fact in the issue.

“Circumstantial evidence may be characterized as that evidence which proves a fact or series of facts from which the facts in issue may be established by inference,” Abangan said.

He even cited a case from the Supreme Court which ruled “under the rules on evidence, an accused can be convicted even if no eyewitness is available provided that enough circumstantial evidence has been established by the prosecution to prove beyond reasonable doubt that the accused committed the crime.” (FREEMAN)