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Makati Prosecutor’s Office wrapped up hearings on Christine Dacera case, lawyer says


The Makati Prosecutor’s Office on Wednesday ended its preliminary investigation on the criminal complaint over the death of flight attendant Christine Dacera last month, according to the lawyer for some of the respondents.

Mike Santiago, legal counsel for five of the 11 respondents, said the complaint for rape with homicide has been submitted for resolution. This means the prosecutors will now determine, based on evidence presented, whether to press charges against the respondents in court.

Santiago said the respondents filed rejoinder affidavits during Wednesday’s hearing.

The National Bureau of Investigation is conducting a parallel probe.

Dacera, 23, died on January 1 after a New Year's Eve celebration with her friends. Her family believes she was drugged and sexually abused. They are pursuing the complaint against her companions the night before she died.

READ: Timeline of Christine Dacera’s death

Dacera's friends, however, have insisted they did not harm her, instead claiming that they took care of her when she was heavily drunk and until her final moments.

A medico legal report of the Philippine National Police Crime Laboratory ruled out homicide as the cause of death.

Instead, the report said Dacera died of a ruptured aortic aneurysm that was triggered by an increase in blood pressure. — Virgil Lopez/RSJ, GMA News

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