Plea bargain rejected: Nursing student pleads not guilty

CEBU, Philippines - The prosecution in the parricide case against a 25-year-old nursing student, who admitted killing his mother, rejected the plea bargain offered by the father of the accused prompting the court to push through with the arraignment where the accused entered a plea of not guilty.

Assistant city prosecutor Ricky Jones Macabaya said the family of the victim Rubirose Tenchavez did not accept the offer of Virgilio, father of the accused Christian Lucky Dalangin, for his son to plead guilty of the lesser crime of homicide.

“There is no plea bargaining, it is a family matter and the family did not agree so the parricide case will go on,” Macabaya said.

Upon arraignment yesterday before RTC Judge Gilbert Moises, Dalangin entered a not guilty plea despite his earlier admission of the crime. Dalangin was assisted by public attorney Leah Cruz.

Virgilio earlier offered for his son to plead guilty of a lesser crime of homicide instead of the parricide because he wanted a lesser penalty for his son.

A plea bargain is an agreement between the prosecution and the defense whereby the accused of the criminal offense may plead guilty usually to a lesser charge or to the original criminal charge with a recommendation of a lighter than the maximum sentence.

Dalangin executed an extra-judicial confession where he admitted killing his mother last month. In his affidavit, Dalangin said he slit his mother’s throat twice using a knife.

He said his mother had been nagging and accusing him of something he did not do. After killing his mother on August 23, Dalangin buried her inside their house at M. Gochan Street in Barangay Mambaling.

The court has scheduled the pre-trial conference on October 17, 2011. — (FREEMAN)