MURDER case filed against former Regional Intelligence Unit-Davao chief Supt. Leonardo Felonia's was already raffled off to Regional Trial Court-Branch 225 in Quezon City days after his case records were transported there, his legal counsel lawyer Caesar Europa said through a text message.
Presiding Judge Maria Luisa Lesle G. Betic of RTC-Branch 225 in Quezon City will handle the case. Felonia was tagged in the killing of Cebu-based businessman Richard King.
Chief Insp. Milgrace Driz, spokesperson for the Davao City Police Office (DCPO), confirmed through a text message yesterday that Felonia is still detained in Davao City.
Davao City Police Office director Vicente Danao Jr. said in a previous interview with the media that they did not executed the previous order of RTC-Branch 16 Presiding Judge Carpio to immediately transport Felonia in Quezon City for his arraignment and presentation of evidence due to the order’s lack of specification of the venue where the accused is supposed to be brought.
This, however, was refuted by Europa in a reply dated October 6 which they submitted to RTC-Branch 16 by stating that Danao had no authority to decide for himself to hold his compliance to the court’s order to transport Felonia to Quezon City RTC and to interpret the Resolution of the Supreme Court which partially grants the petition for change of venue filed by the accused.
Danao, in a comment on the motion to show cause for his non-compliance of the court’s order to transport Felonia to Quezon City filed by Felonia’s legal counsel, stated that Europa had misinterpreted his failure to transport accused Felonia as he has no intentions of defying the orders of the court.
Danao also added in the comment that “bringing accused Felonia to Quezon City without a specific RTC branch might be an opportunity for the [accused] to escape and that he could not comply with the order as there was no specific branch [indicated on it].”
This was later slammed by Europa in a reply to Danao’s comment by stating that accused Felonia voluntarily surrendered to the authorities after the issuance of the warrants for his arrest and if the accused would want to escape, he could have done it in the beginning.
Danao explained in the previous interview with the media that they will transport accused Felonia to Quezon City after an order that specifies the exact venue of the place where the accused will be delivered is indicated.