Caloocan court convicts cop of torture, planting evidence in Carl Arnaiz’s case

The Caloocan Regional Trial Court has found a police officer guilty beyond reasonable doubt for the torture and planting of evidence on two teenagers who were killed during the height of the drug war in 2017. 

In a 36-page decision dated November 10, the Caloocan RTC Branch 122 imposed the following convictions against Police Officer 1 Jefrey Perez for the torture of Carl Angelo Arnaiz and 14-year-old Reynaldo de Guzman:

• For violation of Republic Act 9745 against Arnaiz, accused is hereby sentenced to suffer penalty of six months of arresto mayor as minimum to four years and two months of prision correccional medium as maximum;
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• For violation of RA 9745, in relation to Section 5(a) of RA 8369 against De Guzman, accused is sentenced to suffer the penalty of reclusion perpetua;
• For the planting of evidence under RA 9165 against Arnaiz, Perez is sentenced to suffer the penalty of two terms of life imprisonment;
• For the planting of evidence under RA 10591 against Arnaiz, the accused is hereby sentenced to suffer the penalty of reclusion perpetua

Perez is also perpetually disqualified from holding public office.

Meanwhile, the court ordered Perez to pay the heirs of Arnaiz and De Guzman moral damages amounting to P1 million and exemplary damages amounting to P1 million for each of the victim’s heirs.

The court said interest at the rate of 6% per annum shall be imposed on all the monetary awards from the date of finality of the decision until fully paid.

It said the heirs of the victims are also entitled to claim for compensation as provided under RA 7309 for an amount to be determined by the government agency concerned.

In 2017, Perez and Ricky Arquilita were accused of willfully, unlawfully and criminally, and systematically beating and punching Arnaiz and De Guzman in different parts of their body, thereby causing severe pain and exhausting them before they were eventually killed.

They were also accused of planting marijuana leaves inside the pocket of Arnaiz and shabu inside his backpack as well as placing ammunition near his body for the purpose of implicating him, thereby making it appear that he engaged in a shootout.

Arquilita, however, passed away during the trial, dismissing the cases against him.

In 2017, Arnaiz was killed by Caloocan police officers on August 18 after allegedly staging a hold-up against a taxi driver.

Meanwhile, De Guzman, Arnaiz’s companion, was later found dead with 30 stab wounds on his body in Gapan, Nueva Ecija. His head was wrapped in packaging tape. 

On Thursday, the Philippine National Police (PNP) said it respects the decision of the court.

“We respect po yung decision ng korte with their findings, nakakulong naman po yung dating police natin and definitely may review naman yan na icoconduct kasi kung ang conviction niya is lifetime irereview ng Court of Appeals, hanggang sa Supreme Court hanggang sa iakyat nila,” PNP chief Police General Rodolfo Azurin Jr. told reporters.

(We respect the decision of the court with their findings, our former police officer is in jail and there is definitely a review that will be conducted because if his conviction is for lifetime, the Court of Appeals will review it, up to the Supreme Court if they planned to raise it.)

“These are still subject to the appeal ng nadismissed nating police, as far as yung paging police niya he was already dismissed noong 2018 pa,” he added.

(This is still subject to the appeal of our dismissed police, as far as his paging police he was already dismissed in 2018.) — with Richa Noriega/RSJ, GMA Integrated News