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PEOPLE Vs. Jose Navarro, Jr.

PEOPLE OF THE PHILIPPINES, appellee, vs. JOSE NAVARRO, JR., appellant.

G.R. No. 132218 | 2003-07-24

D E C I S I O N

PER CURIAM:

The guilt of an accused must be proven beyond reasonable doubt. But what happens when the lips of the victim as the lone eyewitness had been silenced by her gruesome death? This case shows that circumstantial evidence, when sufficient, can be the basis of conviction for a crime punishable by death.

On automatic review is the decision[1] of the Regional Trial Court of Urdaneta, Pangasinan (Branch 46), the decretal portion of which reads:

WHEREFORE, finding JOSE NAVARRO, JR. guilty beyond reasonable doubt of the crime of RAPE WITH HOMICIDE, the Court hereby sentences him to suffer the penalty of DEATH to be...