Back

PEOPLE vs Joel Pinca

PEOPLE OF THE PHILIPPINES, plaintiff-appellee, vs. JOEL PINCA y HUARDE, accused-appellant.

G.R. No. 129256 | 1999-11-17

D E C I S I O N


PANGANIBAN, J.:

Republic Act 7659 defines the so-called heinous crimes. Not all convictions involving such crimes automatically warrant the imposition of the death penalty. There are specific qualifying and/or aggravating circumstances that must both be alleged in the information and proven during the trial, before the criminal offenders may be sentenced to death. Absent any of these specific qualifying and/or aggravating circumstances, the capital penalty cannot be imposed. Accordingly, in the present case, while the appellant can be convicted of murder on the basis of the established facts, the penalty must be reduced...