Nida's daughter wants charges vs slain actress' aide dropped

The only daughter of slain actress Nida Blanca has asked Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez to drop the charges against her late mother's long-time aide, Elena Dela Paz, who was charged as an accessory in the 2001 murder. In a two-page letter sent to Gonzalez on Tuesday, Ma. Katherine “Kaye" Torres said she does not believe that Dela Paz was involved in the killing of her mother nearly five years ago. “Tita Elena, as I have been accustomed to address her, not only loved my mother more than a sister and best friend, but also gave me and my grandmother and relatives, the same amount of love, affection and dedication and loyalty," Torres said in her letter. Dela Paza worked for 45 years as aide of the late Blanca (whose real name was Dorothy Jones). Department of Justice prosecutors last June 28 indicted and filed charges against Dela Paz as accessory of principal accused Rod Strunk, Blanca’s husband. “For me, this kind of accusation is a crime in itself. How can I expect the DOJ to give justice to my late mother with this kind of injustice being done to Tita Elena?," Torres added. Torres also spoke with Gonzalez when she handed her letter. However, the justice secretary said that Torres’ letter would not make any difference. “Kaye was simply trying to express her own view. It does not bind me. I did not give any assurance or commitment to Kaye or to anyone" Gonzalez said. Gonzalez said it is up to the court to decide whether it would accept Dela Paz as a state witness or not. Blanca’s body was found on Nov. 7, 2001 inside a vehicle parked at the office of the Movie Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) office in Atlanta Center in Greenhills, San Juan. Dela Paz was indicted in the killing of Blanca on the basis of the testimony of prosecution witness Rannie Francisco. Francisco said that he had seen Dela Paz when she fetched Blanca from her office on the night of the killing. He also said that he saw Dela Paz with Blanca at the sixth floor parking lot of the Atlanta building where several hours before Blanca was found dead inside her car. For her part, Torres said Dela Paz was with her grandmother during the time that Francisco claimed he had seen Dela Paz with Blanca. Torres said her grandmother’s nanny and family friend, Bernard Fernandez, house cookd Praxedes Firaza and her husband gardener Anghel Firaza attested to the fact that Dela Paz was with her grandmother when Blanca was killed. “We cannot solve a crime by committing another crime. I therefore know in my heart that Ranny Francisco is a fabricated witness and his incriminating testimony on my Tita Elena is a fabricated lie" Torres said in her letter. Dela Paz also went to Gonzalez’s office on Wednesday accompanied by Public Attorney’s Office (PAO) chief Persida Rueda-Acosta upon learning that Torres was meeting with Gonzalez. <b>-GMANews.TV</b>