Scribd
Upload
372 views

2 People Vs Puno Digest

Puno repeatedly slapped and hit Aling Kikay in the head with a hammer, killing her. He then threatened witnesses Hilaria de la Cruz and Lina Pajes not to call the police. Despite the threats, Lina notified police of the killing. At trial, psychiatrists testified that Puno acted with discernment at the time of the killing. The court ruled that Puno was sane and knew his actions were wrong, as evidenced by his threats to witnesses. The court concluded Puno was not legally insane and found him guilty of murder.

Uploaded by

Eunice
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
372 views

2 People Vs Puno Digest

Puno repeatedly slapped and hit Aling Kikay in the head with a hammer, killing her. He then threatened witnesses Hilaria de la Cruz and Lina Pajes not to call the police. Despite the threats, Lina notified police of the killing. At trial, psychiatrists testified that Puno acted with discernment at the time of the killing. The court ruled that Puno was sane and knew his actions were wrong, as evidenced by his threats to witnesses. The court concluded Puno was not legally insane and found him guilty of murder.

Uploaded by

Eunice
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 2

People vs Puno

Facts:
On seeing Aling Kikay sitting in bed, Puno insulted her by saying:
"Mangkukulam ka mambabarang mayroon kang bubuyog". Then, he
repeatedly slapped her and struck her several times on the head with a
hammer until she was dead.
The assault was witnessed by Hilaria de la Cruz and by Lina Pajes. After the
killing, Puno went to the room of Lina, where Hilaria had taken refuge, and,
according to Hilaria, he made the following confession and threat: "Huwag
kayong magkakamaling tumawag ng pulis at sabihin ninyo na umalis kayo ng
bahay at hindi ninyo alam kung sino ang pumatay sa matanda." Or,
according to Lina, Puno said: "Pinatay ko na iyong matanda. Huwag kayong
tumawag ng pulis. Pag tumawag kayo ng pulis, kayo ang paghihigantihan ko.
" Disregarding Puno's threat, Lina, after noting that he had left, notified the
Malabon police of the killing.
The defense presented three psychiatrists. However, instead of proving that
puno was insane when he killed Aling Kikay, the medical experts testified
that Puno acted with discernment.
The trial court concluded that Puno was sane or knew that the killing of
Francisca Col was wrong and that he would be punished for it, as shown by
the threats which he made to Hilaria de la Cruz and Lina Pajes, the old
woman's companions who witnessed his dastardly deed.
The trial court also concluded that if Puno was a homicidal maniac who had
gone berserk, he would have killed also Hilaria and Lina. The fact that he
singled out Aling Kikay signified that he really disposed of her because he
thought that she was a witch.
The defense contends that Puno was insane when he killed Francisca Col
because he had chronic schizophrenia since 1962; he was suffering from
schizophrenia on September 8, 1970, when he liquidated the victim, and
schizophrenia is a form of psychosis which deprives a person of discernment
and freedom of will.
Issue:
Whether Puno is exempted from criminal liability because of insanity.

Ruling:
No, he is not exempted.
When insanity is alleged as a ground for exemption from responsibility, the
evidence on this point must refer to the time preceding the act under
prosecution or to the very moment of its execution. Insanity should be
proven by clear and positive evidence. Insanity under article 12 of the
Revised Penal Code means that the accused must be deprived completely of
reason or discernment and freedom of the will at the time of committing the
crime.
After evaluating counsel de oficio's contentions in the light of the strict rule
just stated and the circumstances surrounding the killing, we are led to the
conclusion that Puno was not legally insane when he killed the hapless and
helpless victim. The facts and the findings of the psychiatrists reveal that on
that tragic occasion he was not completely deprived of reason and freedom
of will. The trial court correctly characterized the killing as murder.

You might also like