Shorter prison term sought for ‘Lucky’ in murder of mama

After he admitted killing his mother in a blaze of anger last month, 25-year-old Christian “Lucky” Dalangin is hoping to negotiate a lighter prison term.

Yesterday’s arraignment on parricide charges was reset after his father Virgilio appeared in court to intercede for his youngest son.

He asked that the charge be downgraded to homicide in exchange for a plea of guilty.

Prosecutors have yet to decide on the plea bargain, which could reduce his jail time from a term of 20 to 40 years, to 15 years or less.

The killing of 53-year-old Rubirose Tenchavez shocked the community after her body was found buried under the floor of a stockroom in the family residence in Gochan Subdivision, barangay Mambaling, Cebu City.

Her son “Lucky” admitted cutting his mother’s throat after a quarrel at dawn in Aug. 23 then burying her in a hole, which he had dug with two friends.

“Murag napungot lang gyud ko ba (I just got pissed off),” he told reporters after his arrest by the National Bureau of Investigation, whose agents confirmed that the young man had used shabu before the violence.

The victim’s sister  was reluctant yesterday to consider a lesser penalty.

“Instead of reclusion perpetua (20 to 40 years of imprisonment), Lucky’s father wants the penalty to be less, preferably imprisonment of eight years,” Vivian Batayola told reporters yesterday.

Media were not allowed to cover the court proceedings.

“I still have to ask his (Dalangin) brothers about it. If the penalty is reduced, it wouldn’t be a good precedent to others. Some people may think it’s okay to commit the same offense,” Vivian said.

Regional Trial Court Judge Gilbert Moises of Branch 18 reset the arraignment to tomorrow to give the family time to discuss the proposal.

Lucky Dalangin, a nursing graduate, is represented by Leah Cruz of the Public Attorney’s Office (PAO).  His two brothers work as nurses in New Zealand and Singapore.

NBI -7 Agent Bernard dela Cruz said he will confer with Assistant City Prosecutor Ricky Jones Macabaya about the plea bargaining agreement.

Dela Cruz, one of the investigators in the case, said the State has control of the case now.

If Dalangin, a nursing graduate, is convicted of parricide, he faces a jail term of 20 to 40 years. But if the crime is homicide, the penalty is 15 years, said the NBI agent.

A plea bargaining agreement can end a criminal case without having to conduct trial. In this agreement, the accused agrees to enter a guilty plea for a lesser offense.

In the courtroom yesterday, Dalangin was handcuffed along with some detainees of the Cebu City Jail.

He wore a prisoner’s yellow shirt and kept his head bowed.  He was seen crying on the bench.

His father Virgilio told reporters in a previous interview that he blames the “devil” for influencing his son to commit the crime.

The mother’s remains were cremated and buried at the Cebu Memorial Park.

Two other sons wanted to bring the ashes abroad but they were advised by Msgr. Frederick Kriekenbeek to bury it.  They had to undergo a healing session with the priest to  better understand and cope with what happened, according to the victim’s sister Vivien. Ador Vincent Mayol, Reporter