Monday, June 23, 2008 Man who ‘pushed’ girl off cliff faces charges
CHARGES of rape with homicide were filed against Demosthenes Mirasol, a resident of Santander, Cebu, after a fifteen-year-old girl was found dead at the bottom of a cliff last week.
Though Mirasol had earlier denied the allegations, credence was given to the testimony of a lone eyewitness, Jonathan Señagan, a 32-year-old mute.
Myrish Mae Petil was on her last year of high school when she was found dead off a cliff in Samboan, Cebu a week ago. Señagan claimed that Mirasol had raped her before pushing her down the 15-feet-deep cliff.
According to Señagan, the incident happened on June 15 in Barangay San Sebastian, Samboan, Cebu, at 3:00 p.m.
Señagan was out gathering leaves for his animals when he saw Mirasol approaching Petil. Mirasol allegedly grabbed Petil’s arm and pushed her to the ground.
Unconscious
When Petil tried to struggle free, Mirasol choked her and smashed her head with a stone. He then raped the unconscious girl.
“Wa siya natagbaw (He was not satisfied),” Señagan said in his affidavit, referring to Mirasol.
After raping Petil, Mirasol allegedly pushed her down the cliff 15 feet deep.
“After that, I saw Myrish’s body being pushed by Denny (Mirasol) down the cliff, and he just watched it as it rolled toward the bottom,” Señagan said in his affidavit, communicating through sign language with the aid of interpreters.
Señagan said he was scared and that what he saw shocked him. That night, after Petil’s body was found, he visited the wake in Petil’s house and told her parents about the incident.
Señagan gave his testimony to the police two days later.
SPO1 Dominador Fer-rolino, SPO1 Alex Bilocura and PO1 Rose Anne Jugo executed a joint affidavit, saying that after Señagan approached the police and gave a description of the suspect, they brought him to the neighboring barangay of Inadlay in Santander. There, Señagan positively identified Mirasol as the suspect.
Rape and homicide charges against Mirasol were approved last June 18. (KAB)
