Death sentence. Edgar Belandres (middle) was sentenced to death penalty after Regional Trial Court Branch 5 Judge Ireneo Lee Gako found him guilty in the murder of Cebuano photojournalist Allan Dizon on Nov. 27, 2005. (Photo by Mars W. Mosqueda Jr.)Death penalty for killer of Cebuano photojournalist
Text and Photo by MARS W. MOSQUEDA JR.
CEBU CITY - A Regional Trial Court (RTC) judge here sentenced to death the accused in the murder of Cebuano photojournalist Allan Dizon, who was gunned down on Nov. 27, 2004.
RTC Branch 5 Judge Ireneo Lee Gako sentenced Edgar Belandres, 40, with the maximum penalty of death after he found him guilty beyond reasonable doubt in the murder of Allan Dizon, photojournalist of local newspaper The Freeman and Banat News.
Gako gave weight to the testimonies of the prosecutions witnesses, saying the witnesses were credible and though it was their first time to take the witness stand, the witnesses gave out a spontaneous account of the incident.
Dizon, 31, was shot by a man last November 27, 2004 at Five Star Car wash at the North Reclamation Area were he was expecting somebody who earlier texted him that they will see each other there.
The judge's clerk read out the summary of the ruling but it was Judge Gako who personally gave out the penalty.
"Wherefore, I found the accused guilty beyond reasonable doubt and sentenced him to death," Gako said inside his sala that was filled up with representatives from both the prosecution and defense team.
Judge Gako said he was not happy with his decision but the evidences and facts presented to him by both the prosecution and defense team forced him to hand out the maximum penalty of death to Belandres.
"I am not guilty, I did not kill Allan," Belandres shouted as he hugged his wife and kids following the handing out of the sentence.
But Dizon's wife Amelina said she was happy with the result of the case and strongly insisted that it was indeed Belandres who shot dead her husband more than a year ago.
Belandres, through lawyer Pedro Leslie Salva, earlier filed a two-page motion to defer the promulgation originally scheduled last December 20, citing the spirit of Christmas as the main reason.
The statements of witnesses Epifanio Barcuma, Justiniano Doller, and Alma Maraveles were given weight by Judge Gako in handing out his resolution of the case. All testified that Belandres was the one who shot and killed Dizon.
Witnesses said they were 10 to 15 meters away when they saw Belandres walking to a corner without a helmet.
When he saw Dizon arriving at the car wash, Belandres allegedly put on the helmet and went to the motorcycle where his companion waited.
Belandres was arrested a day after Dizon was laid to rest.
The arrest of Belandres, 39, in his house in Barangay Lorega, Cebu City came two days after the deadline for Task Force Newsmen 7 to solve the case. #
