Court acquits Strawberry slay suspects

The Las Piñas Regional Trial Court acquitted yesterday a father and his two sons, accused in the killing of a former child star more than three years ago.

In a 26-page decision, Judge Elizabeth Guray of the Las Piñas RTC Branch 202 found no direct evidence linking Reynaldo Picar and sons Ronald and Mark Ryan to the homicide case.

The Picars were tagged in the killing of Strawberry, Anouk Sumayao Baldo in real life. The former TV child star, then 25 was with her boyfriend when they figured in a traffic altercation with the Picars in Las Piñas in December 2001.

The court found the pieces of evidence submitted by the prosecution inadequate to sustain a verdict of conviction.

"First, the prosecution was not able to establish with certainty that the accused were brandishing guns during the encounter. This is very crucial considering that the main point of contention in this case was who fired the shot that killed Strawberry. With absence of any proof that accused had guns at the time of the incident, reasonable doubt as to the culpability of the accused then arises," Guray said.

In an interview, the Picars said they are thankful for the decision handed down by the court.

"It is clear that justice still prevails in this country. We have suffered for almost four years and it is good that the decision was in our favor," a teary-eyed Reynaldo Picar said.

The victim’s family expressed outrage over the decision.

Aida Sy, the victim’s aunt, said they will still look for ways to eventually find justice for Strawberry.

"If we need to bring the pieces of evidence to the US to check their authenticity, then we will do so. It is just unfortunate that we have a lousy police system and lousy technology in this country," she said.

Strawberry was a former child star known to TV viewers as the daughter of Freddie Webb and Nova Villa in the long-running sitcom Chicks to Chicks.Court records showed that on Dec. 16, 2001, Strawberry and her boyfirend figured in a traffic altercation with the suspects in Las Piñas.

Two days later, the two were on their way to the Rio Garden Homes inside UBFHAI Village in Las Piñas, when four cars blocked their path.

A total of 14 people, including the Picar brothers, alighted from the vehicles.

Doromal claimed members of Picar’s group were carrying a rifle and a baseball bat, which was used in smashing the windshield of his car.

An outnumbered Doromal allegedly sought help from village security guards.During the confrontation, a shot rang out and a bullet ricocheted inside the car of Doromal, hitting Strawberry.

She sustained three gunshot wounds in the head and slipped into a coma for two days before she died.