A Manila court has found Aegis Juris Fraternity member John Paul Solano guilty of obstruction of justice in the fatal hazing of University of Santo Tomas law student Horacio “Atio” Castillo III.
Manila Metropolitan Trial Court Branch 14 Judge Carolina Esguerra sentenced Solano to up to four years, two months and a day in prison for obstruction of justice.
However, he remains free for now subject to the same conditions of his bail. He could also appeal his conviction to the High Court.
This is the first conviction in the Atio Castillo hazing case.
Solano was earlier identified as the “good samaritan” who found Castillo’s body on a Tondo sidewalk and brought it to Chinese General Hospital, but barangay officials disputed his claims.
He admitted that he initially lied to the police because he was fearing for his life and liberty.
“His fear of being implicated in the death of Castillo is not imminent. Had accused spoken of the true incidents prior to bringing Castillo to the hospital, the matter would have been investigated first by the police before hailing him to court should they find that he acted in complicity with the others in bringing about Castillo’s injuries,” the court said.
“The fear which the accused claims to have overtaken him is not, in contemplation of law, as imminent as he believed, and is even speculative at that. Thus, his defense that he acted under the impulse of uncontrollable fear for his life or limb has no leg to stand on,” the court added.
However, the court acquitted him of perjury or intentionally lying under oath. Solano said he was never made to take an oath before the police officer and he only signed an affidavit.
“That part of the first element of the offense that the accused made a statement under oath was not proven beyond reasonable doubt,” the decision read.
“Nothing would prevent him from refusing to follow the supposed instructions or get lost in the hospital or from speaking the truth to the police officers who arrived to investigate,” the 27-page decision read.
Meanwhile, Atio’s parents said the court ruling is the “first step to a perfect conviction.”
“We are very happy with the conviction of obstruction, this is what we’ve been saying that they are guilty of obstruction, they concealed, they lied,” Minnie Castillo, Atio’s mother, said after the judgment. (Erma Edera)
