Pampanga court convicts cop, ex-NBI errand boy over Jee Ick Joo slay

A Pampanga court has convicted a cop and a former errand boy of the National Bureau of Investigation over the kidnapping and killing of South Korean businessman Jee Ick Joo in 2016.

According to portions of the 192-page decision, the Angeles Regional Trial Court Branch 60 found Senior Police Officer III (SPO3) Ricky Sta. Isabel and former NBI errand boy Jerry Omlang guilty beyond reasonable doubt of the special complex crime of kidnapping with homicide.

They are sentenced to suffer a penalty of reclusion perpetua without parole.

"The Court finds that the prosecution was able to prove that SPO3 Ricky Sta. Isabel y Molabola and Jerry Omlang y Abarando aka Jerry are guilty beyond reasonable doubt of the special complex crime of kidnapping with homicide," it said.

The Court also directed them to pay Jee’s heirs P50,000 as temperate damages, P100,000 as moral damages, P100,000 as exemplary damages, and P100,000 as civil indemnity with an interest of 6% per annum from the date of finality of the decision until fully paid.

Meanwhile, it also found Isabel and Omlang guilty of the charge of kidnapping and serious illegal detention and sentenced them to suffer a penalty of reclusion perpetua.

"There being no aggravating or mitigating circumstance in the commission of the offense, they are hereby sentenced to suffer the penalty of reclusion perpetua together with the accessory penalties," it said.

They were also directed to pay Marisa Dawis Morquicho, Jee’s house help, P75,000 as civil indemnity and P75,000 as moral damages, and P75,000 as exemplary damages with an interest of 6% per annum from the date of finality of the judgment until fully paid.

The Court also sentenced Isabel and Omlang to 22 to 25 years in prison for the charge of carnapping.

"Although Jee was forcibly taken, the information charging the accused with carnapping did not state that it was committed by means of violence against, or intimidation of, any person, or force of things," the Court said.

"Therefore, accused Sta. Isabel and Omlang can only be convicted of simple carnapping and sentenced to suffer the penalty of imprisonment of 22 years to 25 years," it added.

Meanwhile, the Court acquitted Superintendent Rafael Dumlao of charges of kidnapping for ransom with homicide or kidnapping with homicide, kidnapping with serious illegal detention, and carnapping for failure of the prosecution to prove his guilt beyond reasonable doubt.

The Court said the prosecution also failed to prove that Isabel, Omlang, Dumlao, and Senior Police Officer IV (SPO4) Roy Villegas are guilty beyond reasonable doubt of kidnapping for ransom with homicide.

In an ambush interview, Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said while he had not yet read the decision, it was the court's "way of looking at the evidence."

''Sometimes it cannot be avoided [acquittal] if the presentation is not as good as the court wants it to be. But there are other reasons that can be said by the court in its decision,” he said.

Remulla said he expects more erring policemen to be brought to justice.

“Because there were many in uniform who really… who didn’t do their jobs properly and probably even went to the other side. So if they are caught doing their thing, the law will not choose who to convict,” he said.

Jee was abducted, along with his house help Morquicho, from his Angeles City home on October 18, 2016, by armed men allegedly pretending to be carrying out an anti-drug operation.

He was strangled to death inside the Philippine National Police headquarters in Camp Crame. His remains were burned and flushed down the toilet. —KG/VBL, GMA Integrated News