Bella lawyers to petition Crame on DNA tests
THE lawyers of kidnap with homicide suspects Bella Santos and her British partner Ian Charles Griffiths called on a task force to produce the DNA test results they obtained from her Pajero vehicle.
In an interview, lawyer Rameses Villagonzalo said they received reliable information from Camp Crame that the test results yielded a “negative” result.
The blood taken from the Pajero compartment supposedly came from six-year-old victim Ellah Joy Pique
“Tests won’t lie. If the test result isn’t positive, it means the blood samples don’t belong to Ellah Joy.
They don’t have a case (against Santos and British partner Ian Charles Griffiths),” Villagonzalo said.
Villagonzalo said they already submitted a letter to Camp Crame to furnish them a copy of the test results taken from the blood samples submitted by the Task Force Ellah Joy. “We expect a delay though,” he said.
Santos and Griffiths were indicted by the Cebu Provincial Prosecutors’ Office on charges of kidnapping with homicide in relation to Ellah Joy’s death.
Villagonzalo described the recent ruling a “temporary setback.”
“The case is just a house of cards. There is really no evidence against our clients,” said Villagonzalo who represents the respondents alongside Makati-based lawyer Ana Luz Cristal.
The Criminal Investigation and Detection Group in Central Visayas (CIDG-7) yesterday went to the Cebu Provincial Prosecutors’ Office to urge Deputy Provincial Prosecutor England Joseph Berciles to immediately file the charges before the Regional Trial Court.
CIDG-7 lawyer Inocencio dela Cerna said once the charges are elevated to the court, an arrest warrant will be issued against the respondents.
Dela Cerna said they aren’t sure whether or not to present the blood samples’ result during trial.
He said the task force believes that the evidence they gathered are enough to prove the guilt of Santos and Griffiths.
The evidence he referred to include the testimonies of witnesses who positively identified Santos and Griffiths as the same persons who abducted and throw the dead body of Ellah Joy.
He said the task force has yet to receive the test results. Reporter Ador Vincent Mayol
