Roger Dominguez seeks dismissal of charges against him

MANILA, Philippines –  Carjacking suspect Roger Dominguez yesterday called for the dismissal of the charges against him by claiming lack of evidence to support the criminal complaint.

In his seven-page counter-affidavit before the Quezon City Prosecutor’s Office, Dominguez also called for a reinvestigation of the case and release from detention.

Dominguez simply denied the charges of carnapping with homicide, saying “he has no personal knowledge, information and participation, in any stage, in its commission.”

Dominguez’s counsel Jose Cruz said the testimony of the lone witness Alfred Mendiola cannot be the basis of the charges in the absence of any witness to corroborate Mendiola’s extra-judicial confession.

“He (Mendiola) failed and cannot substantiate his allegations in his written confessions. That for his wrongful acts, Mendiola, after his apprehension and detention, is trying to put the blame on brothers Raymond and Roger. This is not correct. This should not be tolerated,” Cruz argued.

Cruz said the Dominguez brothers should not be held liable for the crime committed by Mendiola and the other suspects in the carjacking syndicate.

Roger is facing charges of kidnapping with homicide and car theft before the Quezon City Prosecutor’s Office while his younger brother Raymond had been charged at the Malolos Regional Trial Court in Bulacan for the same offense.

The complaint alleged Mendiola was with victim Venson Evangelista when they took the vehicle for a test drive.

Jayson Miranda, Roger’s companion when he was arrested for traffic violation in Quezon City, also asked the court to be released from police custody.

Miranda’s counsel, Marc Terry Perez, argued the detention of Miranda was illegal and unconstitutional without any warrant of arrest.

Roger’s arrest last week led the police to recover the Toyota Land Cruiser that Evangelista was reportedly selling at the time he was snatched and killed last January.

The chassis number of the Land Cruiser remained the same but it had a different license plate.

Police said the recovery of the vehicle completes the evidence necessary to support the charges against the Dominguez brothers.

The Dominguez brothers were implicated in the murders of Evangelista and another car trader Emerson Lozano and associate Ernane Sensil.

The criminal operations of the Dominguez group have extended to Metro Manila, particularly Quezon City, because of its big number of members.

This developed as another vehicle was lost to suspected car thieves in Taguig yesterday.

Chief Inspector Jenny Tecson of the Southern Police District said robbers broke into the garage of one Glen Franco in F P. Burgos St., barangay Sta. Ana and took the blue Mitsubishi Montero SUV (NID 687) owned by tenant Fernando Dolfe. – With Aie Balagtas See, Cecille Suerte Felipe