2 indicted for Davantes rob-slay

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Justice (DOJ) yesterday indicted two suspects in the killing of advertising executive Kristelle “Kae” Davantes earlier this month.

The DOJ filed a case for the special complex crime of robbery and homicide against Reggie Diel and Lloyd Benedict Enriquez before the Las Piñas regional trial court after inquest proceedings showed probable cause against them.

Investigating prosecutor Omar Cris Casimiro cited as basis the extrajudicial confessions made by the two during the probe.

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.

Samuel Decimo, the suspect who cooperated with authorities and pinpointed his cohorts, was not yet included in the case filed in court.

As for the two other arrested suspects, Kelvin Evangelista and Jomar Pepito, and the sixth who remains at large, Baser Minalang, the DOJ opted to subject the same charges against them for further preliminary investigation since they were not present during the inquest proceedings.

In the same resolution, the DOJ dismissed the charge for qualified carnapping against the suspects.

Casimiro explained that the “taking of Kristelle’s car was only resorted to by the respondents to safely distance themselves or to prevent Kristelle to immediately report the incident to authorities.”

The prosecutor cited as proof the respondents’ initial plan “to abandon Kristelle’s car in a secluded village in Batangas.”

The complaint filed by the victim’s uncle, Vicente Davantes, was forwarded by the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group-National Capital Region to the DOJ last Tuesday.