Leyte court junks murder case vs Kerwin Espinosa, others

A Leyte court has dismissed the murder case filed against Albuera Mayor Kerwin Espinosa and two others over the 2024 killing of an individual in a public market in Baybay City.

In a 37-page resolution, the Regional Trial Court Branch 14 of Baybay City, Leyte, said the case against Espinosa, Eddie Mar Demingoy Mitra alias “Rico Francisco,” and Marcelo Adorco alias “Loloy,” was ordered dismissed for lack of probable cause. 

This was in connection to the killing of Aldrin Tano alias “Watari” in a public market in Baybay City, Leyte on September 4, 2024. 

The resolution dated March 31, 2026, which was penned by Presiding Judge Carlos Arguelles, noted that there was no amount of probable cause which warrants the filing of the case against the three accused. 

“This Court cannot find any plausible explanation why the inadmissibility of the confession was not noticed during the preliminary investigation when the New Rules on Preliminary Investigation adopted by the Department of Justice, DOJ Circular No. 15 dated July 16, 2014 includes the admissibility of evidence as one of the threshold in determining whether there is prima facie evidence with reasonable certainty of conviction that would warrant the filing of the case against the respondents,” the resolution read. 

The Court, however, found that Ronald Bulak—another person accused for the crime—and his unidentified companion likely committed the crime of murder and should therefore be held for trial. 

The RTC ordered the issuance of an arrest warrant against Bulak, with no bail bond recommended. 

Meanwhile, no warrant of arrest was issued against Bulak’s alleged co-conspirator because no information was filed against him. 

Espinosa—who earlier became controversial after being linked to drug allegations during the Duterte administration—-surrendered to the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) in Cebu in early February, after a regional trial court issued an arrest warrant against him and others over a murder case. 

Espinosa was released from the Cebu City Jail the same month after the court ordered his release, stating it did not have jurisdiction over his murder case. —RF, GMA News