Cops in murder of Mindoro anticrime crusader out on bail

Zenaida Luz —PHOTO COURTESY OF CITIZENs CRIME WATCH

The two police officers charged with the murder of anticrime crusader Zenaida Luz in Oriental Mindoro province were released on bail after the court found the evidence presented against them as weak.

Juan Agapito Tria III, lawyer of Citizens Crime Watch (CCW) and of the victim’s family, confirmed on Thursday the temporary release of Senior Insp. Magdalino Pimentel Jr. and Insp. Markson Almeranez.

Luz, head of the anticrime watchdog CCW in Mimaropa (Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon, Palawan) region, was gunned down in Gloria town, Oriental Mindoro on Oct. 9 last year.

“We were surprised to see them (Pimentel and Almeranez) in civilian clothes and no longer in handcuffs this morning,” Richard Albert, Luz’s partner, told the Inquirer in a telephone interview after Thursday’s hearing at the Manila regional trial court (RTC).

In a 15-page order issued on Aug. 3, Manila RTC Judge Daniel Villanueva granted the policemen’s petition for bail and set the bond at P500,000 each.

Lack of merit

This reversed Villanueva’s June 6 decision that denied the policemen’s petition for bail “for lack of merit.”

The policemen, on July 6, filed a motion to reconsider the denial.

The policemen’s bail petition was anchored on the “incongruent testimonies” of witnesses and on the results of the cross-matching where bullets recovered from the crime scene did not match the .45 cal. Caspian pistol seized from Almeranez.

It also said that “conspiracy” was not established.

“[In] the interest of justice and the exercise of its sound discretion, the court finds at this time that the evidence against the accused does not appear to be strong,” read Villanueva’s order, a copy of which was furnished by the family to the Inquirer.

Settlement try

In a separate telephone interview, Luz’s sister, Perlita Alvarez, said the family was “even more surprised” as the release of the policemen came after several failed attempts to settle with Luz’s family.

Tria said they would file a motion for reconsideration.

Pimentel was formerly assigned at the Provincial Public Safety Company while Almeranez was a former police chief of Socorro town in Oriental Mindoro.

They were arrested by fellow policemen after a brief chase on the night Luz was attacked.

Investigators, however, said two more suspects remained at large. —MARICAR CINCO