Mother silences baby

Because he refused to stop crying, a six-day-old infant was beaten to death by his mother who was reportedly high on solvent, police said yesterday.

Racquel Carillo, 24, of Pacheco Street, Tondo, Manila was immediately arrested and is now detained at the Western Police District (WPD) Integrated Jail as infanticide charges are now being readied against her.

According to an investigation conducted by the Homicide Section of the WPD, Carillo, an alleged drug dependent, was annoyed when her son, Jomari, started crying at about 7:30 a.m. yesterday. Police said Carillo’s husband Jowel was out of the house buying food when the incident happened.

Investigators said Racquel, who was "high" from sniffing rugby, started hitting the boy until the crying stopped.

Two hours later, Leticia Fernandez, Jowel’s aunt, arrived at the house and noticed that the baby was no longer moving. She then sought the help of police.

According to investigators, Racquel was incoherent when she was arrested inside her house.

Chief Inspector Juanito Taluban of the WPD Homicide Section said Racquel’s older son had been previously taken away by the Department of Social Welfare and Development after the boy was also reportedly beaten.

Taluban said they are looking into allegations that Racquel was a battered wife.

"She could have vented her frustrations on the baby," said Taluban.

Meanwhile, a Quezon City Regional Trial Court judge sentenced a drug addict to death by lethal injection after finding him guilty of shooting to death a lineman of the Philippine Long Distance Tel. Co. (PLDT) seven years ago.

Judge Abednego Adre of Branch 88 sentenced Angelo Zeta to die by lethal injection for the murder of Ramon Garcia, then 37, inside the victim’s house at 25-C General Tinio Street, La Loma on Oct. 28, 1995.

In a 34-page decision, Adre also sentenced Petronilla Zeta, wife and co-accused, to life imprisonment for her participation in the murder.

He said while the motive for the treacherous killing is blurred, the fact remains that the Zeta couple knew the victim prior to the shooting.

"Whether the cold blooded murder was precipitated for vengeance for the sake of a friend, or falling out because of a business transaction, or both, is not clear. What is crystal clear, is the treacherous shooting to death of the victim by the accused Angelo Zeta with the indispensable cooperation of his wife Petronilla Zeta," Adre said in the decision.

The couple was also ordered to indemnify in sodium the heirs of the victim in the amount of P50,000 for his death, P146,600 for hospital and burial expenses, and P1,642,440 for the lost income of the victim reckoned at 10 years of productive life.

Angelo is also facing murder charges before the Marikina Regional Trial Court for shooting to death his brother. He and his wife were positively identified by four witnesses as the ones who left the house of the victim and Maria Cristina Mercado, his common-law wife. – Pia Lee-Brago