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Wednesday, July 24, 2002
Defending the killers
By Lino Santos
First Gentleman Mike Arroyo with his "Pang-Sabadong Abogado, Handog Namin Sa Inyo" group of volunteer lawyers is ready to provide free legal services to actor Sony Parsons who is facing homicide charges for killing two of six robbers who broke into his home in Marikina last Thursday.
One suspect was seriously wounded while three others escaped.
Arroyo said his group is now studying and closely monitoring the case of Parsons.
"Once Mr. Parsons needs a lawyers, we'll be in court with him.
All he has to do is get in touch with our office in Malacanang and anyone among our 40 volunteer lawyers would be ready to defend him," Arroyo said.
Parsons, a former councilor of Marikina who killed the hold uppers in a shoot out as they fled from his home, deserves all the support he can get, he said.
The First Gentleman said with Parson's heroism and the killing of the hold uppers, other targets of the dead criminals are now safe and lawless elements will now have second thoughts about striking at seemingly helpless citizens.
"Had the hold uppers escaped, anybody would have been the next victims. You, me, anybody. That's why if only for this, Mr. Parsons deserves the support of everybody," Mr. Arroyo added.
Parsons singlehandedly fought off the six-man gang who barged into his house last Thursday morning.
Initially caught by surprise, the suspects hogtied the action star while they ransacked his house and attempted to rape his two daughters.
He told other members of his family to give all the money they want.
One of the robbers poked his gun on his head and squeezed the
trigger. Luckily, the gun jammed.
Parsons tricked the robbers by saying that policemen were to take their breakfast in his home that morning.
The robbers panicked and hurriedly left the house.
A househelp untied Parsons who went after the fleeing members of the Waray-Waray Gang.
Armed with a .45 caliber pistol he got from his cabinet, Parsons engaged the robbers in a shoot out, killing two and wounding one.
People praised Parsons for his heroic act.
But the Marikina police said Parsons would be charged for the killing of two suspected robbers.
We are not lawyers, but from the looks of it, Parsons cannot claim self-defense because his act of shooting the robbers came minutes after he was threatened with the gun.
This means that his act of firing at the robbers came after his life was in actual danger.
Self-defense means taking decisive action at the moment the threat to one's life is there.
It is on this premise that the Marikina police are charging Parsons for homicide, although the probable crime could be premeditated murder.
But if Parsons shot at the robbers while they were inside his house he could claim self defense. His shooting at the robbers while they were running away (throw out the claim of a shoot out) showed a decision to kill.
We are mentioning this incident here because the law is clear on the matter of self-defense.
For some naughty reasons the framers of the law wants to ensure that criminals can go free after doing their foul deeds. Otherwise, for want of criminals to hunt down, law enforcers will lose their jobs.
Remember the Nov. 27 fiasco at Cabatangan and how a favored rebel group shame law-enforcers in Zamboanga. Instead of disarming the armed group. They were all escorted out of town free of charge.
Crime does pay.
In the case of Parsons, he might even end up in jail. |
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