Ex-Caloocan cop in Carl, Kulot deaths gets life

MANILA, Philippines — Justice has been served for drug war victims Carl Arnaiz and Reynaldo “Kulot” de Guzman after a Navotas court found a former Caloocan police officer guilty of executing them in 2017.

The Navotas City Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 287 sentenced Jeffrey Perez to life in prison without eligibility for parole. The court also ordered Perez to indemnify the family of Arnaiz and De Guzman P390,000 in actual, civil, moral and exemplary damages.

It was the second conviction of police officers involved in the deaths of Arnaiz and De Guzman.

In 2022, Perez was convicted by the Navotas RTC Branch 122 for violating Republic Act 9745 or the Anti-Torture Act and planting of evidence under the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act.

Perez’s co-accused, Ricky Arquilita, formerly assigned with the Caloocan City police, reportedly died of hepatitis B while in detention in April 2019.

Perez and Arquilita allegedly executed Arnaiz, who was 19 at the time, during a staged shootout in Navotas on Aug. 18, 2017.

De Guzman, who was 14 and was last seen with Arnaiz, was found dead in a river in Nueva Ecija after 14 days. The body was hogtied and his head was bound in plastic and packing tape.

Perez and Arquilita were also accused of torturing the teenagers before shooting them to death.