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Saturday, February 15, 2003
Strunk, Medel face murder raps for Nida's death
MANILA -- After more than a year, State prosecutors finally filed Friday murder charges against Rod Lawrence Strunk alias Rod Lauren and Pedro Philip Medel before the Pasig Regional Trial Court for the gruesome killing of the late veteran actress Nida Blanca or Dorothy Jones.
Strunk is Nida's husband and is presently in the United States while Medel is now detained at the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) detention cell.
Blanca was a member of the Movie and Television Review and Censorship Board (MTRCB) when she was killed.
In a 40-page resolution, the Department of Justice (DOJ) prosecution panel recommended the dismissal of murder charges against a certain Vicente N. Polinar. The panel also cleared the three security guards of the building where Blanca's disfigured body was found from charges of obstruction of justice.
"Summing the evidence as adduced by the complainants, it shows that more likely than not, a crime has been committed and was committed by three respondents. This is the quantum of evidence of probable cause," a portion of the prosecutors' findings said.
Chief State Prosecutor Jovencito Zuno,Senior State Prosecutor Archiemedes V. Manabat and State Prosecutot Mark E. Jalandoni signed the resolution.
Blanca was bludgeoned and stabbed to death on November 6, 2001 inside her car at the parking lot of her office at the 6th Floor of the Atlanta Bldg., Annapolis St., San Juan, Metro Manila.
Aside from several stab wounds, police investigators also found Blanca's body to have suffered multiple fractured ribs on both sides of her body.
Prosecutors based much of its findings on the testimony of Blanca's friend Elena dela paz who claimed that Strunk held a grudge against Blanca after he was not included in the title of the property which Blanca bought in the United States.
State lawyers also noted that Medel voluntarily reiterated his participation in the killing in several television interviews he went through before recanting his confession.
On November 19,2001 Medel was presented to the media who confessed that he killed Blanca and executed a 10-page handwritten confession wherein he admitted participation in Blanca's murder.
A certain Mike Martinez, Medel claimed recruited him to help in what the latter called the "Tantoco Project" to collect 50,000 pesos from an unknown person.
On the date they were supposed to meet, Martinez apparently failed to show up but a certain RAD later to be identified as Strunk met with Medel.
After cruising Virra Mall and Robinson's in San Juan the two along with a tomboy, they then proceeded to the Atlanta Building to ambush the "Chinese" looking woman, Blanca.
Medel claimed Strunk himself gave him the order to stab the victim who was repeatedly referred to by Strunk as "Majadera"
During a preliminary investigation on November 24,2001, Medel recanted his confession on national television and insisted that he was tortured by policemen to own up the crime.
Changing tunes, Medel then claimed that he was walking along Col. D Salgado St. Kamias Rd. in Quezon City at around 12:30 p.m. on November 16 when he was abducted by elements of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) "Task Force Marsha" and was brought blindfolded to a safe house where he was beaten up and tortured.
Prosecutors subsequently sent the case back to the national police for further investigation.
Polinar, who was cleared by prosecutors, had earlier been identified as the person who allegedly surveyed the scene of the crime about a week before the attack while aboard a Mistubishi Galant he bought from a policeman.
Prosecutors said they are swayed by proof offered by Polinar that he was in Valencia City, Bukidnon at the time the crime was committed.
The three guards--Ricky T. Alvarez, Roberto S. Caņete and Diolito E. Molines were cleared of the charges after the DOJ said there was insufficient evidence against them.
Likewise cited by prosecutors were admissions made by the late Rolly Kintanar claiming that as early as November 11,2001, Medel had already admitted the Blanca killing and had signified his intention of turning himself in.
Kintanar, who was himself killed last month while eating in a Quezon City restaurant, was instructed by his boss, Bureau of Immigration Commissioner Andrea Domingo to report the matter to the PNP.
The government's failure to quickly resolve her murder has been used as a symbol of the poor performance of the justice system. (Sunnex Luzon) |
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