Davantes slay: Court enters not guilty plea for 2 suspects

MANILA, Philippines - A Las Piñas regional trial court judge entered yesterday a plea of not guilty for two of the six men accused of robbing and killing advertising executive Kristelle Davantes.

During their arraignment yesterday, Reggie Diel admitted to robbing but denied participating in killing Davantes while Lloyd Benedict Enriquez, when asked by Branch 253 Judge Salvador Timbang if he was guilty of the crime of robbery with homicide, replied “no.”

Enriquez was about to explain when the judge cut him off and entered a plea of not guilty.

The arraignment of Diel and Enriquez was originally set on Oct. 7 but Department of Justice (DOJ) prosecutors Omar Casimiro and Mark Estefa filed a motion to reset the arraignment so they could amend the information to include other suspects.

Public Attorney Dian Arceo, following the filing of the amended information yesterday, told the judge that she could no longer represent the two suspects because they made conflicting statements on their alleged participation in the crime. She did not elaborate.

In filing the case before the court last month, Casimiro cited as basis the extrajudicial confessions made by the two during their investigation.

Diel and Enriquez “specifically and categorically admitted their participation in robbing and killing Kristelle.  (Diel) admitted that he acted as the alternate driver while their group abducted, robbed and eventually killed Kristelle. As for (Enriquez), it seems that he acted as the group’s lookout,” Casimiro said in his 13-page resolution.

4 more men charged

The DOJ prosecutors filed an amended information to include suspects Samuel Decimo, Kelvin Jorek Evangelista, Jomar Pepito and Baser Minalang. Their arraignment was set on Nov. 7.

Decimo, who claimed he stabbed Davantes upon the gang’s orders, is being detained at the National Bureau of Investigation while Evangelista and Pepito are in the custody of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group.

During yesterday’s hearing the prosecution also filed a motion for the transfer of all the suspects to the Las Piñas City jail and the issuance of a warrant for the arrest of Minalang, who remains at large.

All six men are accused of snatching Davantes on Sept. 7 while she was opening the gate of her house in Moonwalk Subdivision, forcing her into her car and driving her to Cavite, where her body was found under a bridge.