2 men meted death for rape and robbery

The Antipolo Regional Trial Court has sent to the death chamber two of the four men who raped and robbed a 54-year-old widow nine years ago.

Found guilty beyond reasonable doubt by Judge Francisco Querubin, of Branch 74, were Gerardo de Gracia and Agustin de Asis. De Gracia was convicted in absentia.

Querubin has ordered the two to each pay the victim P68,000 in indemnity and P100,000 for moral damages and the cost of suit. The other suspects who remain at large are Necetas Rafael and Christopher delos Santos. They fled before the case was arraigned in court.

Court records showed that the victim was sleeping inside her house when four men broke in by destroying the glass sliding door on Sept. 29, 1993. While his three companions were looking for valuables in the house, De Asis sexually assaulted the victim.

Despite this, the three were named accessories to the crime as the victim testified during the trial that they were watching while De Asis was raping her.

The defense panel, on the other hand, claimed the rape was fabricated as the victim even failed to inform the police about it when she reported the robbery.

But in its ruling, the court said that the "delay of the offended party to reveal the incident is understandable and is naturally to be expected of a woman ravishing her virtue in silence and secrecy."

"No woman in her right mind would subject herself to the humiliation of a rape trial," the court added.