NAGA CITY–A panel of prosecutors unanimously indicted an officer of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) for the death of a co-worker whose remains were found in a car trunk after his confession.
Prosecutor Virgilio S. Balane Jr., panel spokesman, said panel chairman Prosecutor Cyril C. Manzano, member Prosecutor Antonette Majella S. Nacor and himself reached the decision Wednesday and found probable cause against Dennis Erich Medina who committed the “special complex crime of robbery with homicide” in the death of Ayres Napire last March 8.
Both were working as officers of the DILG when the crime was committed. Medina was assigned in Naga City while Napire was in the town of Bombon, all in Camarines Sur province.
Balane said Medina was indicted under Article 294, paragraph 1 of the Revised Penal Code which has no bail and if found guilty would be sentenced to life.
Balane narrated that in their study of the extra-judicial confession of Medina and other circumstantial evidence from an employee of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas and witnesses who saw Medina and the victim in the car on the day of the commission of the crime, they concluded that the motive was to rob Napire of her ATM account.
“And on the occasion of the robbery, Ayres was killed,” he added.
Before killing Napire, Medina was able to get hold of the victim’s ATM cards and the PIN and was able to withdraw P130,000 in nine transactions on March 8-9.
Medina confessed that he fetched Napire in the morning of March 8 and drove her to Bombon town with the intention of borrowing money from her.
He said when Napire refused to lend her money, he stopped and parked his car on the side of the road and told her the car developed mechanical trouble.
Medina proceeded to the backseat and found a rope which he used to tie Ayres around the neck who was seated on the front passenger seat.
He said Ayres attempted to jump out of the car but prevented her, using his superior force against the victim.
The commotion in the car attracted attention from people passing by, who later became witnesses to the crime.
Medina said he drove to Naga City from Bombon town and drove around the city, parking and stopping several times, while the suspect continued warning the victim not to create a scene.
He said he strangled Napire when again she tried to flee while untying her along the Almeda Highway in Naga City at 1:30 p.m. on March 8.
Medina claimed he tried to revive Napire but failed until he decided to wrap the body with sacks and hid it inside the trunk of his car until he made the confession on March 13 and led police to her body.