Starlet Paula cleared of carnap with homicide charge

MANILA, Philippines—A case filed by the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) linking starlet Katrina Paula to car dealer Venson Evangelista’s murder was dismissed Tuesday.

Paula (Angeline Samonte in real life), who sought the dismissal of the case against her for lack of merit from the Quezon City Prosecutor’s Office in March, said that she never hid from the authorities.

“Hindi ako nagtago, wala naman akong dapat itago. Sobrang inosente ako sa mga ipinaratang nila sa akin (I never hid, since I have nothing to hide. I am innocent of their allegations),” Paula said.

Highway Patrol Group (HPG) spokesman Senior Superintendent Edwin Butacan, however, said Paula has still to contend with five counts of anti-fencing filed by the HPG against her at the Mandaluyong City Prosecutor’s Office.

Butacan said that their anti-fencing case was not weakened by the dismissal of the case filed by the CIDG. “It is a different case from carnapping with homicide case,” he said.

Butacan said they were still awaiting a resolution of the anti-fencing case.

Evangelista was abducted on January 13 after meeting with buyers who requested to test-drive a Toyota Land Cruiser. The car dealer’s burnt remains were later found in Cabanatuan City in Nueva Ecija.

Last year HPG officers recovered eight vehicles in the Mandaluyong City condominium where Paula and her boyfriend Raymond Dominguez resided, Butacan said, adding that five of the vehicles were found to be “hot cars.”