Businessman in Enzo slay wants arrest warrant lifted

MANILA, Philippines - A businessman tagged as the mastermind in the killing of international racer Enzo Pastor has asked a Quezon City court to lift the warrant issued earlier for his arrest.

Domingo “Sandy” de Guzman III, in a five-page urgent omnibus motion filed through his lawyer Dennis Manalo, asked Judge Luisito Cortez of the Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 85 to reconsider the Aug. 5 ruling that ordered his arrest.

De Guzman also asked the court to dismiss the murder case against him for lack of merit and probable cause.

He argued that the court erred in finding probable cause on the basis of hearsay evidence.

“There is no reason for the accused to undergo trauma of arrest or detention as it is obvious that the evidence of the prosecution is not strong,” the motion read.

Earlier, Cortez dismissed De Guzman’s motion for judicial determination of probable cause and issued a warrant for his arrest.

Police officers tasked to serve the arrest warrant have failed to locate De Guzman .

In his appeal, De Guzman claimed that Cortez relied heavily on the testimony of a witness who did not have personal knowledge of the supposed plan to kill Pastor.

De Guzman was referring to the statement of Alvin Nidua, who identified him as the mastermind in the murder of Pastor.

Nidua’s testimony was based on hearsay, De Guzman claimed.

He added there is no evidence linking him to the crime as the alleged gunman, Police Officer 2 Edgar Angel, has recanted his testimony.

In an extrajudicial confession, Angel said that De Guzman hired him to kill Pastor because the car racer was physically abusing his wife, Dahlia Guerrero-Pastor.

Dahlia has yet to surface following the filing of a parricide case against her for the killing of Pastor on June 12, 2014 in Quezon City.