Guilty: Ex-cop gets 14 years for deadly LT shooting spree

Justice for death of businessman 

LA TRINIDAD, Benguet – A court found Frenzel M. Mendoza, a former police officer, guilty for the death of a local businessman in a shooting spree that happened in the evening of August 7, 2014 here.

He was sentenced to 10 to 14 years imprisonment in a decision promulgated in open court here Oct. 11.

After more than four years of trial, Judge Emmanuel Cacho Rasing of the Regional Trial Court Branch 10 found that there is more than sufficient evidence presented by the prosecution against Mendoza to prove his guilt beyond reasonable doubt for the killing of Cesar Palitog Degay who was then the manager of a Midtown Bar here below the provincial capitol along km 6 of the Halsema Highway.

Mendoza was sacked as a police officer in November 2014 after he was found administratively guilty in the August 7, 2014 shooting incident that resulted to the deaths of Degay and security guard Sonny Caswang Awingan.

A certain Reymar Cosendo Copis survived the incident but sustained minor gunshot wounds.

Court documents showed Mendoza, together with then fellow police officers Mafersan Santiago, Cid Acop and Nemer Comissing, went out for a drinking binge in evening of August 7, 2014.

Mendoza then figured in a brawl with a group of teenagers below Midtown bar.

Degay and Awingan tried to pacify the situation. Degay even shielded Mendoza who fell to the ground after being beaten by the group of teens.

However, upon recovering, Mendoza pointed his gun and shot multiple times Awingan and Degay.

Closed circuit television (CCTV) footages of the incident were used as evidence in the court case.

The autopsy conducted on Degay showed that he suffered four gunshot wounds, one in the head and three in his back. 

The other murder case against Mendoza for the death of Awingan was dismissed due to the non-participation of Awingan’s family.

The court sentenced Mendoza “to suffer the indeterminate sentence of 10 years of prision mayor, as minimum, to 14 years, eight months, and one day of reclusion temporal, as maximum.” 

He was also ordered to pay the heirs of the victim civil damages in the amount of P50,000, moral damages in the amount of P50,000 and actual damages amounting to P165,000.

Judge Rasing has ordered Mendoza to be delivered and jailed at the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa City.

Degay’s family was represented by private prosecutor Romeo Buslayan while Mendoza was represented by lawyer Bartolome Baldas, Jr.