Accused in shopper’s death seeks to defer arrest warrant

CEBU, Philippines - One of the accused in the killing of a shopper in 2013 is asking the court to defer the issuance of the warrant of arrest against him, citing his pending petition for review before the Department of Justice.

Jeffrey Aquino, through lawyer Salvador Solima, filed the motion to delay the issuance of the warrant of arrest for murder before the Regional Trial Court Branch 19 where the case was raffled off.

Solima said Aquino filed a petition before the DOJ seeking for review of the Cebu City Prosecutor’s Office resolution finding probable cause against him and Mauricio Doblados in the death of Mario Alfie Ducayag.

Solima said his client should not be issued with warrant of arrest until the DOJ rule on the petition for review. 

Aquino and Doblados were accused of killing Ducayag in April last year after he was allegedly caught stealing a pair of sandals from a downtown department store.

Ducayag, 23, resident of Tuyan, Naga City, Cebu, was brought to the security office for questioning but he was allegedly mauled to death.

National Bureau of Investigation-7 medico legal officer, Dr. Rene Cam, said the victim died of traumatic injury in the neck. The NBI-7 filed the criminal complaint against Aquino and Doblados.

State Prosecutor Anna Lou Fernandez-Cavada indicted them after finding probable cause. The prosecutor did not recommend bail for the temporary liberty of the two accused. (FREEMAN)