THE Makati City Prosecutor’s Office ordered the release of the three men charged over the death of 23-year-old flight attendant Christine Dacera for lack of sufficient evidence against them.
John Pascual Dela Serna III, Rommel Galido and John Paul Halili were freed from detention pending the conduct of further investigation.
“After a thorough investigation of the evidences (sic) presented for inquest, this office finds that there are certain matters that need to be clarified to determine the participation and culpability of each respondent for the alleged rape and killing of Christine Angelica Dacera y Faba,” Makati City Prosecutor General Benedicto Malcontento stated in his order.
“At this point, the pieces of evidence so far submitted are insufficient to establish that she was assaulted or raped. And if sexual assault/rape was committed, who is/are person/s responsible?,” the order added.
The document was released several hours after Philippine National Police Chief Debold Sinas insisted that Dacera was raped and killed despite an autopsy report pointing to a ruptured aneurysm as the cause of Dacera’s death.
The autopsy report was circulated on social media.
Dela Serna, Galido and Halili are among 11 people who were with Dacera in the hotel room where she was found dead on January 1, 2021.
The prosecution said the police officers have yet to submit the results of the DNA analysis, toxicology or chemical analysis, and histopath examination.
Sinas maintained that Dacera was raped because of the laceration and semen allegedly found in her vagina. (SunStar Philippines)