A Cebu City regional trial court has meted a jail term of up to 14 years on a former mayor of Lezo town in Aklan Province for killing a broadcaster in 2004.
Cebu City RTC Branch 16 Presiding Judge Sylva Paderanga found Alfredo Arcenio guilty of homicide for shooting to death Bombo Radyo broadcaster Herson “Boy” Hinolan.
“Under the obtaining circumstances, this court finds that the prosecution was able to amply establish and prove the guilt of the accused of the crime of homicide beyond reasonable doubt,” read Paderanga’s 26-page decision promulgated on Wednesday.
Paderanga sentenced Arcenio from eight to 14 years in jail and ordered him to pay the victim’s family P187, 761 in damages.
Arcenio, who declined to be interviewed after the sentence was handed down, was escorted by jail guards back to his detention cell.
“Justice has been served. We wished it would be a murder conviction, but we’re happy with the court’s decision,” Aphrodite Hinolan, the broadcaster’s widow, said.
She said her husband, who was shot dead at 10:45 p.m. on Nov. 13, 2004 near a carnival on Mabini St. in Kalibo, Aklan, would have been happy about the decision.
The widow also expressed her gratitude to Assistant Cebu City Prosecutors Gandhi Truya and Hazel Valdez for successfully prosecuting the case.
Paderanga tried the murder case against Arcenio after the Supreme Court ordered the transfer of the case from the Aklan trial court to Cebu in 2008.