MURDER suspect Jonathan Sanchez is in his right mental state, and is “fit to stand trial,” a regional trial court judge said.
Judge Marivic Trabajo-Daray denied the motion of state lawyer Lei Maurae Babatuan, who sought to have Sanchez undergo a psychiatric examination.
Daray, of the Regional Trial Court Branch 17, is not convinced that Sanchez is suffering from any mental illness.
This means that Sanchez is “fit to stand trial” for shooting to death lawyer Goering George “Jing” Paderanga Sr. and his son Gerik Ceasare last Dec. 22, 2016.
Judge Daray also set Sanchez’s arraignment on June 19.
In the pleading, Babatuan attached to the pleading a medical certificate issued by Dr. Joseph James Lim in January 2015, who diagnosed Sanchez as having “sleep disorder” and said that he should undergo treatment.
The medical abstract also stated that Sanchez “has a history of substance-induced psychiatric disorder” that requires continuous medication.
Sanchez, 35, is detained at the Cebu City Jail, while he is being tried for shooting to death the father-and-son lawyers outside their law office on F. Ramos St., Cebu City last Dec. 22, 2016.
Sanchez’s wife Charito, 35, had told reporters that her husband had been diagnosed with a mental illness and admitted at the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center twice.
Goering George’s wife, Judge Sylva Aguirre-Paderanga, asked Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre to direct the National Bureau of Investigation to conduct a “thorough and intrepid” investigation.
The probe aims to affirm or rule out the involvement of other people or that Sanchez acted on his own.
“I am not convinced that Sanchez acted alone or that he was motivated by any motive other than the inducement of a hidden principal or principals,” said Judge Paderanga in her letter.
Judge Paderanga said Sanchez shot the victims without any altercation, indicating that the guard’s act was carried out to “specifically target” her husband and son.