DOJ files robbery with homicide raps vs 2 suspects in Davantes slay

(Updated 5:15 p.m.) The Department of Justice has filed criminal cases against two suspects in the killing of advertising executive Kristelle Davantes.

 

In a 13-page inquest resolution, the DOJ said suspects Reggie Diel and Lloyd Benedict Enriquez were slapped with charges of special complex crime of robbery and homicide.

 

The DOJ said there was "probable cause" to charge the two after they voluntarily confessed to the crime with assistance of a legal counsel.

 

"When both respondents were presented before the undersigned during the inquest proceeding, with the assistance of the Public Attorney's Office lawyer Salanga, they both confirmed and reafffirmed their respective sworn statements," the DOJ said.

 

Meanwhile, the remaining suspects in the killing will undergo further preliminary investigation.

They are Samuel Decimo, Kelvin Jorek Evangelista, Jomar Pepito, and a certain "Baser Minalang," the last one who remains at large. The complaint was filed with the DOJ by the Philippine National Police Criminal Investigation Detection Group.

 

Decimo was earlier nabbed while travelling to Aurora on a bus. Enriquez was arrested in Muntinlupa City.

 

Meanwhile, Diel initially evaded arrest but later surrendered to the Las Piñas police with the help of a priest. Evangelista surrendered to authorities in Cabanatuan through his father. Pepito surrendered to Cavite Gov. Juanito Victor Remulla.

 

Diel had admitted in a sworn statement that he was the alternate driver while his group abducted, robbed and eventually killed the victim. Enriquez, meanwhile, was supposedly the group's lookout.

 

The DOJ said the suspects' main objective was to rob Davantes and that her killing was "merely incidental to the robbery."

 

Meanwhile, the DOJ no longer slapped carnapping charges against the suspects.

 

"The undersigned finds no probable cause for the charge of qualified carnapping. This js because the taking of Kristelle's car was only resorted to by the respondents to safely distance themselves or to prevent Kristelle to immediately report the incidentto authorities," the DOJ said.

 

Davantes' body was found last September 7 in Silang. She had been stabbed. She was fully clothed and her body bore no signs of sexual abuse, police said.

 

Davantes' car has also been recovered. Investigators said there was an attempt to set burn the car. — Mark Merueñas/KG/RSJ, GMA News