Eyewitness tags cops in Carl-Kulot slays

MANILA, Philippines — The lone eyewitness in the killing of 19-year-old Carl Angelo Arnaiz and his 14-year-old companion Reynaldo “Kulot” de Guzman testified seeing the two accused police officers shooting at the defenseless teenager at a grassy area in Navotas.

The witness, only identified as “Joe Daniel” for his safety, on Friday took the witness stand before the Navotas regional trial court (RTC), where the murder case was refiled after it was dismissed by a Caloocan court for lack of jurisdiction.

The witness said he was walking along Dalagang Bukid street within the jurisdiction of Navotas looking for a place to eat, when he hid behind three electric posts upon seeing a police car.

He testified to seeing Arnaiz alight from the vehicle handcuffed and run to a grassy area along C3 Road, where he was shot three times by Police Officers 1 Ricky Arquilita and Jefrey Perez in the wee hours of Aug. 18, 2017.

Joe Daniel also swore under oath that he saw a smaller boy inside the police car, presumably Kulot, whose body was found floating in a river in Nueva Ecija with multiple stab wounds.

The witness said he emailed the office of Sen. Panfilo Lacson weeks later, bothered by his conscience, to serve as a witness for the victims to attain justice.

He later executed affidavits before the Public Attorney’s Office and the Department of Justice.

“I attended a mass where I heard about everyone’s accountability to each other. My emotions were stirred. That’s why I came out to help in attaining justice for the victims,” Joe Daniel said before Navotas RTC Branch 287 Judge Romana Maria Melchora Lindayag-del Rosario.

The torture and planting of evidence charges against the two policemen for allegedly torturing the teenagers and planting drugs on them remain pending before the Caloocan RTC.

Before dawn on Aug. 18, 2017, Carl was killed by police after he and Kulot allegedly robbed taxi driver Tomas Bagcal along C-3 Road in Caloocan, an allegation the family has denied.

Arnaiz’s body was later transferred to a staged crime scene along C-3 Road in Dagat-Dagatan, Caloocan, so that the investigation for the teenager’s death would fall under the jurisdiction of the Caloocan police, prosecutors said.