Death for ex-Marine sergeant for kidnapping

The prime suspect in the murder of Young Officers Union (YOU) spokesman Capt. Baron Cervantes was meted the death penalty by the Mandaluyong City Regional Trial Court yesterday for his involvement in the kidnapping of a 14-year-old daughter of a dermatologist two years ago.

Ex-Marine Sgt. Joseph Mostrales was found guilty beyond reasonable doubt by Judge Amalia Dy of Mandaluyong City RTC Branch 213 and was ordered to pay the victim and her family P11 million for the unrecovered ransom money, P2 million in moral damages and P268,000 as compensatory damages.

Court records showed that the victim, her two yayas, two other kids and drivers Herminio Altarejos and Alex Afable, were on their way to school in San Juan on Nov. 12, 2001 when the Starex van, with license plate WEA 968, they were riding was blocked by a red Toyota Revo at the corner of Calderon and Pila Sts. at about 6:35 a.m.

Four heavily armed men wearing PNP black uniforms forcibly took the victim at gunpoint and fled towards Shaw Boulevard. She was released five days later after her family paid P11 million in two installments.

Mostrales and his two other companions — Diosdado Santos and Ronnie Tan - were positively identified by the drivers and the yayas in a gallery of the Police Anti-Crime Emergency Response (PACER) in Camp Crame.

Mostrales was arrested in May 2002 by PACER agents at his residence in Lauren, Umingan, Pangasinan for his alleged role in Cervantes’ killing. The case against him is now being heard before the Las Piñas Regional Trial Court. Superintendent Allan Purisima said Mostrales is also linked to another kidnapping case in Tarlac.