EDITORIAL - The plea

The man who owned up to the gruesome killing of a Lapu-Lapu City teenager early this year has pleaded not guilty to the murder charge filed against him by the Lapu-Lapu City Prosecutor’s Office before the court.

Renato Llenes, 42, entered a plea of not guilty plea during his arraignment the other day over last March’s heinous murder of 16-year-old Christine Lee Silawan, a crime that gripped the nation.

Although Llenes earlier admitted to killing Silawan, his lawyer, Manuel Degollacion, said the suspect wanted the charge downgraded to homicide from murder. Of course, murder and homicide are different in nature and carry different penalties.

The suspect’s decision may have stunned the prosecutors since he already admitted to the crime. But it’s his constitutional right to decide whatever he thinks is good for him in his battle against the case filed against him.

A homicide case carries a lower penalty than a murder case. And the suspect is aggressively battling for a lesser punishment for a crime only those who are out of their minds would dare commit, which he has owned up to.

The case would have been set to take the easy route to resolution had the prosecutors chosen to give in to Llenes. But conscience seems to have dictated them to conclude that a homicide charge is not appropriate for a gruesome killing, especially if the victim is a hapless underage girl.

Now that the arraignment is finished, the stage is set for a long battle in court. Since Llenes is expected not to change his tune, he is sure to put up a fierce fight to prove that what happened was just homicide.

The public is certain that based on the gravity of the crime, the prosecution panel will never retreat even an inch in pursuit of the maximum penalty for the suspect to give the victim’s loved ones the justice they deserve.