Toril bizman's slay suspect recants guilty plea

A MAN who earlier admitted he killed a Chinese businessman in Toril, Davao City recanted his statement and instead denied the charges filed against him during his arraignment Friday.

Engracio Maido Madanga, 24, of Sibulan, Sta. Cruz in Davao del Sur, pleaded not guilty to the murder charges filed against him.

Madanga is accused of killing Henry Lu Ong, 55, owner of the Universal Grocery in Toril, on March 26.

The City Prosecutor’s Office (CPO) earlier recommended the filing of homicide charges against him instead of murder "due to the absence of aggravating circumstances that would qualify the crime to murder."

However, court records showed that complainant Ana Ong, wife of the victim, asked the Regional Trial Court (RTC) to review the case after the CPO dropped the murder charges.

Through her counsels, Ana filed a motion for reconsideration before RTC Branch 11 Judge Virginia Europa.

Court records also showed that a motion for reinvestigation was filed by lawyers Alejandro Cobol and William Guillen, counsels for the complainant.

But the CPO dismissed the motion for reconsideration since the homicide case was already filed before the RTC.

Thus, the counsels filed the motion before the court to review the criminal charges filed against Madanga.

According to a staff, the homicide charges were dropped to revive the murder charges.

In her previous resolution for the homicide charges, Prosecutor Ma. Gemma Tambis said the termination and filing of theft charges by the victim against the respondent last year might "probably be strong motive" for the latter to kill Ong.

The accused was a former employee of the victim and was imprisoned in December 2011 after the latter caught him stealing sacks of rice.

Ong, who was believed to have been hit in the head before he was stabbed, was found dead by his wife.

Madanga, in a previous interview with the press, admitted he killed Ong due to vengeance for filing a case against him before. He even detailed how he killed the Chinese businessman.

Madanga is now detained at the Davao City Jail.