Trial of suspects in Aussie slay set Tuesday

REGIONAL Trial Court (RTC) has set the trial of suspects in the murder of an Australian national in 2008 to determine whether the prosecution will present its rebuttal witness.

RTC Branch 15 Judge Ridgeway Tanjili set the trial Tuesday as requested by private prosecutor Sigfrid Fortun.

Click here for Election 2010 updates

Corazon Donato, together with Mark John Hanginan and April Jay Juezan, were accused of killing Philip Andrew Aitken in October 2008.

Judge Tanjili earlier approved the motion for Migueleo Demain to become a state witness.

The victim was already in the early stage of decomposition when his body was found in a shallow grave, about three feet deep, in upscale Guadalupe Village in Lanang last October 20.

The body was exhumed by Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) operatives, together with members of Davao City Police Office (DCPO).

The discovery of the Australian national's body came after one of the suspects, invited by authorities for questioning, admitted to the murder of Aitken and led them to where they buried the 45-year-old victim.

The accused were also identified by neighbors and a housemaid.