18 October 2005
Dermatologist’s killer must die, CA affirms
URDANETA CITY – The Court of Appeals recently affirmed the decision of Judge Joven Costales of the Regional Trial Court, Branch 45, here convicting a physical therapist for the killing of his live-in partner, a dermatologist, and sentencing him to death by lethal injection.
Robert P. Brodett was sentenced to death on June 5, 2002 for the killing of Dr. April Duque, a beauty consultant and dermatologist, in their apartment in Urdaneta City on the night of December 28, 2000.
The accused hit the head of the victim with a hammer and stabbed her in the stomach, court records showed.
The body of the lady doctor was found still burning in the early morning in a field outside Urdaneta. Only a small portion of the corpse was unburned.
She was not recognized until after two months when the NBI exhumed her corpse and was identified by her mother thru a ring and a wristwatch recovered from the body by the funeral parlor attendants.
Accused Brodett reported to the NBI that his live-in-partner was missing a few days after the killing to feign ignorance. It was the five-year old son of the accused and the victim however who tagged the accused for the grisly crime as the witnessed personally the incident.
The appellate court gave credence to the testimony of the child, saying: “Youth and immaturity are the badges of truth.”
Pursuant to Supreme Court Administrative Circular No. 20-2005 the Court of Appeals is mandated to conduct a review the decision of the RTC involving death penalty which shall come up for final review by the Supreme Court.
Costales had sentenced to death 26 persons accused of heinous crimes to date. He is dubbed as the “hanging judge of Pangasinan” having imposed the most number of death penalties, not only in the province but probably in the entire Ilocos Region.
Four death sentences were already affirmed by the Supreme Court on his convictions but commuted to life imprisonment by former President Estrada and President Arroyo.
Robert P. Brodett was sentenced to death on June 5, 2002 for the killing of Dr. April Duque, a beauty consultant and dermatologist, in their apartment in Urdaneta City on the night of December 28, 2000.
The accused hit the head of the victim with a hammer and stabbed her in the stomach, court records showed.
The body of the lady doctor was found still burning in the early morning in a field outside Urdaneta. Only a small portion of the corpse was unburned.
She was not recognized until after two months when the NBI exhumed her corpse and was identified by her mother thru a ring and a wristwatch recovered from the body by the funeral parlor attendants.
Accused Brodett reported to the NBI that his live-in-partner was missing a few days after the killing to feign ignorance. It was the five-year old son of the accused and the victim however who tagged the accused for the grisly crime as the witnessed personally the incident.
The appellate court gave credence to the testimony of the child, saying: “Youth and immaturity are the badges of truth.”
Pursuant to Supreme Court Administrative Circular No. 20-2005 the Court of Appeals is mandated to conduct a review the decision of the RTC involving death penalty which shall come up for final review by the Supreme Court.
Costales had sentenced to death 26 persons accused of heinous crimes to date. He is dubbed as the “hanging judge of Pangasinan” having imposed the most number of death penalties, not only in the province but probably in the entire Ilocos Region.
Four death sentences were already affirmed by the Supreme Court on his convictions but commuted to life imprisonment by former President Estrada and President Arroyo.
