EDITORIAL - Questions

When the five men indicted for the brutal killing of Kristelle “Kae” Davantes face trial, those who arrested them and prepared the charges should make sure they have an airtight case. The five have signed written confessions, telling the National Bureau of Investigation that their original motive was robbery. Fearing that the advertising executive could identify them to police, however, the five said they decided to kill her.

Davantes was taken at gunpoint when she got out of her car to open the gate of her home in Moonwalk, Las Piñas on Sept. 7. Hours later, her body was found under a bridge in Silang, Cavite. The killing was brutal – something normally associated with crimes of passion: Davantes was hogtied with a seatbelt and a handkerchief was stuffed in her mouth; she was stabbed several times reportedly with a double-bladed knife and she bore strangulation marks apparently from a laptop cable. Her car was later abandoned by her killers.

While grateful for the quick arrest of suspects, Davantes’ relatives have raised some questions that may also be asked in court. The murder weapon allegedly recovered did not appear to match the stab wounds, according to the relatives, who also questioned the robbery angle.

If relatives of the victim themselves are asking these questions, investigators and prosecutors should prepare to answer similar questions that may crop up during the trial. Confessions have been retracted in several high-profile cases in the past. Even without a retraction, the judge may spot inconsistencies in the stories or spot technical flaws in the apprehension of the suspects. Such flaws have led to the dismissal of many cases.

Investigators and prosecutors must be prepared to address doubts raised about the stories of the five men, if only to dispel suspicions that the suspects are mere fall guys who were rounded up so the case could be declared solved ASAP. If they are fall guys, the real culprits are still out there, with the capability to strike again.