Court convicts 4 men for robbing, killing ad exec Kae Davantes

A Las Piñas court has convicted four men for robbing and killing advertising executive Kristelle "Kae" Davantes in 2013.

Lloyd Benedict Enriquez, Samuel Decimo, Kelvin Jorek Evangelista, and Jomar Pepito were sentenced to up to 40 years in prison for robbery with homicide and ordered to pay Davantes' heirs P50,000 as death indemnity and P50,000 as moral damages.

"The act of one was the act of all," the Las Piñas Regional Trial Court Branch 253 said in a decision promulgated Friday, finding conspiracy among the four accused.

When he was arrested in 2013, Decimo, then 19 years old, admitted to stabbing Davantes. He pleaded guilty in the middle of trial "because of his conscience and what he did."

It was state witness Reggie Diel, who was with the group on September 7, 2013, who recounted in court the night they held up Davantes when she was about to enter her house in Moonwalk Village.

Diel was originally charged along with the rest but got turned into a state witness. He testified that he had been robbing jeepneys with the four men, whom he said were his friends.

He said Pepito spotted Davantes on a night they could not find a jeepney to target.

Alighting from Pepito's Honda City, Evangelista and another suspect, Baser Manalang, who is still at large, held Davantes at gunpoint and dragged her back to her car and got in with her, the witness said.

Diel said he drove Davantes' Toyota Altis to Tagaytay, but eventually switched vehicles with Pepito, whom he said suggested that they kill the woman because she had already seen his car. Diel said he objected.

Pepito and Decimo were the men inside Davantes' car when they drove to Silang, Cavite, he said, adding that he was inside the Honda City when "heard a loud noise when the female was thrown off the bridge," according to the court's decision.

They left afterwards with Davantes' laptop and two cellphones and went to Alabang to sell the items, Diel said.

The state witness said Pepito had a buyer for the Toyota Altis in a week, but the buyer backed out. At the time, Davantes' death was already in the news.

But they still got Davantes' car from where they left it in Batangas and proceeded to Las Pinas, where they took the seats and parts out, washed it to get rid of fingerprints, and set it on fire, Diel said. 

Police found the car on September 15, 2013.

"From the actions of the accused, based on what was proved by evidence, the intent of these group of men were to rob Kristelle Davantes," the court said.

"The taking of the car and the killing of the victim was because they have already been identified; hence, an afterthought."

The court said pinpointing the actual killer was not necessary.

Citing jurisprudence, the court said "all those who took part as principals in the robbery will also be held guilty as principals of robbery with homicide although they did not take part in the homicide, unless it appears that they sought to prevent the killing." —KBK, GMA News