Duntugan lawyers to question Campbell verdict
BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya – The lawyers of Juan Donald Duntugan are set to question before the Supreme Court a lower court decision convicting him of the killing of US Peace Corps volunteer Julia Campbell last year.
Judge Ester Piscoso-Flor of the Banaue Regional Trial Court-Branch 34 cited in a decision released Monday “abuse of superior strength" and “treachery" as aggravating circumstances that led to the conviction of Duntugan.
Lawyer Pedro Mayam-o, one of Duntugan's counsel, said the verdict was just a recital of details of the incident.
“All the facts presented point to the crime of homicide and I think there is no enough justification for the argument of ‘abuse of superior strength’ owing to Duntugan being 15 years younger than Julia Campbell who was 40 years old," Mayam-o said.
Mayam-o said the issue of treachery should not even be used as part of the argument because Duntugan did everything on “spur of the moment."
Duntugan, a resident of Benguet, received a life sentence or a maximum term of 40 years imprisonment. The court also ordered him to pay at least P39 million of damages to the family of Campbell, whose mangled body was found in a shallow ditch in Batad village, 100-meter upstream from Duntugan’s house on April 18, 2007, ten days after she was reported missing.
Meanwhile, Flor said the counsels of Duntugan are free to enter any motion they want to file, but there is a hierarchy of courts to follow, which in this case, the Court of Appeals.
“The Campbell case will be automatically subject for review by the Court of Appeals," she said.
On April 8, 2007, Campbell was on a trail to the scenic rice terraces when she was hit on the head by Duntugan. - GMANews.TV
Judge Ester Piscoso-Flor of the Banaue Regional Trial Court-Branch 34 cited in a decision released Monday “abuse of superior strength" and “treachery" as aggravating circumstances that led to the conviction of Duntugan.
Lawyer Pedro Mayam-o, one of Duntugan's counsel, said the verdict was just a recital of details of the incident.
“All the facts presented point to the crime of homicide and I think there is no enough justification for the argument of ‘abuse of superior strength’ owing to Duntugan being 15 years younger than Julia Campbell who was 40 years old," Mayam-o said.
Mayam-o said the issue of treachery should not even be used as part of the argument because Duntugan did everything on “spur of the moment."
Duntugan, a resident of Benguet, received a life sentence or a maximum term of 40 years imprisonment. The court also ordered him to pay at least P39 million of damages to the family of Campbell, whose mangled body was found in a shallow ditch in Batad village, 100-meter upstream from Duntugan’s house on April 18, 2007, ten days after she was reported missing.
Meanwhile, Flor said the counsels of Duntugan are free to enter any motion they want to file, but there is a hierarchy of courts to follow, which in this case, the Court of Appeals.
“The Campbell case will be automatically subject for review by the Court of Appeals," she said.
On April 8, 2007, Campbell was on a trail to the scenic rice terraces when she was hit on the head by Duntugan. - GMANews.TV
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