Suspect pleads not guilty in Ateneo car accident that killed Grade 4 pupil

The suspect in the vehicular accident that killed a Grade Four student inside the Ateneo de Manila University campus in February 2009 pleaded not guilty to all charges against her on Thursday. A Balitanghali report said suspect Ma. Theresa Torres entered her plea before a Quezon City court, insisting that what happened was an accident. The victim, Julian Carlo Miguel "Amiel" Alcantara, was killed after he was hit by the van Torres was driving and pinned under another vehicle inside the Ateneo campus in Quezon City. Those wounded in the incident were Amiel's sister Jana and their nanny, Tomasa “Tata" Suarez. She was charged with reckless imprudence resulting in homicide and physical injuries. The victims' parents, Jose Fernando and Melanie Alcantara, expressed both anger and disappointment over Torres' decision to enter a not-guilty plea. "She will never understand the pain that we went through," said an emotional Melanie at a press conference in Quezon City on Thursday. In her sworn statement, Torres, a 37-year-old mother of another Grade Four pupil at the Ateneo, said her vehicle’s faulty brakes were to blame for the accident. She also said her van was only running at five to 10 kilometers per hour. However, police investigators said it was more likely that the suspect had mistakenly stepped on the accelerator instead of the brake because a check of the vehicle's brake showed it was functioning properly. The television report said Torres, if found guilty, stands a chance of getting imprisoned from four to 10 years. Amiel's family has already agreed to enter into a "mediation process" with the suspect on November 10, wherein the judge handling the case will determine if the case could be best resolved through settlement. However, the Alcantaras, as early as now, insisted they would in no way enter into a settlement, saying no amount of money could could replace Amiel's life. Torres had already apologized to the victim’s family but the Alcantaras said they could not forgive someone who has not admitted to committing a crime. Torres had repeatedly failed to attend her arraignment in the past, after posting a bail bond of P42,000 — P30,000 of which was for the homicide aspect of the case, while P12,000 was for the physical injuries aspect of the case. This prompted the Alcantara family to ask the court to issue a hold departure order for fear the suspect might be thinking of leaving the country. The court granted the Alcantaras' request for a hold departure order but Torres' counsel Roland Villones had insisted his client has no plans of dodging the charges against her. –VVP, GMANews.TV