USB viewing to continue on Monday

CEBU, Philippines - Judge Mienrado Paredes of Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 13 announced that the viewing of the flash drive taken from the house of Bella Ruby Santos will continue on Monday.

It was Paredes who handled the motion to quash the search warrant for the house of Santos, accused in the kidnap-slay of Ellah Joy Pique last February. There is no judge assigned yet for the kidnapping with homicide charges against Santos and her boyfriend, British national Ian Charles Griffiths.

“The viewing of the USB will continue on Monday as scheduled,” Paredes said.

Paredes explained he will stop presiding on the motion to quash filed by defense lawyer Rameses Villagonzalo after the case is raffled off to a sala. He added that he will turn over all evidence and documents to the new judge after the raffling of the case on Monday.

“This should be done in order not to have any conflicting orders between me and the handling judge of the case,” he said.

Paredes said he already talked to Criminal Investigation and Detective Group (CIDG) lawyer Inocencio dela Cerna regarding the viewing.

Villagonzalo said he welcomes it and poses no objection. He said the viewing will give them opportunity to scrutinize the contents of the USB after Cebu Provincial Police Office (CCPO) Director Patrocinio Comendador claimed that it contains 200 nude pictures.

He is confident there’s nothing like it inside the USB, and that they will use the USB as their counter evidence. He added that his clients are being made “sacrificial lambs” in the bungled police investigation.

The viewing of the USB on June 10, 2011 revealed photographs of teenagers and some documents but no pictures of Ellah Joy Pique.

 Santos said the flash disk was not hers. She denied knowing anything about its contents as it belongs to a certain Robert Presbitero, her computer technician.

 Meanwhile, the court yesterday turned over to Villagonzalo the cord, hair strands and stones after Judge Paredes ruled that these items were never used in the commission of the crime. (FREEMAN)