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PEOPLE vs Felicisimo Jara

PEOPLE OF THE PHILIPPINES, plaintiff-appellee, vs. FELICISIMO JARA, REYMUNDO VERGARA and ROBERTO BERNADAS, defendants-appellants.

G.R. Nos. L-61356-57 | 1986-09-30

D E C I S I O N


GUTIERREZ, JR., J:

We are once again constrained to take a hard look into the sufficiency of extra-judicial confessions as the sole basis for the imposition of the supreme penalty of DEATH.

The three appellants were all sentenced to death in Criminal Case No. 2564 for robbery with homicide. In the companion case of parricide, one was sentenced to another death penalty while the two other appellants received sentenced ranging from 12 to 20 years of imprisonment.

Our task is made difficult by the fact that the crimes were specially ruthless and barbarous in their commission. No less than the counsel for the appellants...