Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Two days had passed when attorney Collins finally gathered all the evidences he needed for his upcoming case.

Ngayon gaganapin ang araw ng paglilitis, kung saan bibitawan na ng mga punong hukom kung anong parusa ang dapat ipataw sa maysala.

The group of people gathered inside the court as they witnessed how the justice system works when attorney Collins is present.

Maingay at may kaniya-kaniyang konklusiyon ang bawat isa. They have their own idea of him— Mr. Meldred Luis.

They already seen him as the culprit of the crime. Without knowing the real story. They already paint him as the bad guy. Judging him only by the small part they witnessed. Without seeing the other side of the angle.

'Humans mentality'

Bulong ni attorney Collins sa sarili. Napailing nalang ito ng masaksihan ang samu't saring reaksiyon narinig mula sa kaniyang mga kasamahan sa loob ng korte habang hinihintay ang mga punong-hukom.

May kaniya-kaniya itong paniniwala. They act mightily. Like an all-knowing creatures, where in fact, they know nothing. They are just normal being with a clueless mind.

'Innocent until proven guilty.'

A basic quotes inside the court which they failed to apply on their selves.

They are holding their guns, pointing at the wrong direction.

Walking in a wrong path.

And following the wrong direction.

They are just simply humans with just limited knowledge about law but keeps on blabbering nonsense.

They are just too innocent for this cruel world.

Mga kawawang mamamayan. Mga walang kamuwang-muwang sa mundong ginagalawan. Wala silang sariling opinyon sa mga nangyayari. Nakiki-ayon lang din sila sa nakararami. Without knowing kung ano nga ba ang tama.

They depends their opinion based on the high numbers of people agreeing in the same page despite the wrong perception of it.

If they keep living that way, who will be with them? Sino ang magtatanggol sa kanila sa oras na maipit ito sa sitwasyong hindi nila alam ang daan palabas.

Paano kung mapagbintangan sila sa mga bagay o krimen hindi naman nila ginawa?

Kung walang tutulong, paano na sila?

That's when attorney Collins decided to be their voice.

He had enough knowledge about law.

He has the power of authority to fight back.

He got the voice that the community badly needed.

He possesses something that can give advantage to the voiceless individuals.

"If you want to be heard, make some noise," someone quoted.

Indeed. You need to do something in order to be seen and heard. And he wanted to be that noise. He himself wanted to be the awakening person of this sleeping justice system.

If you want a change, then be that change. He wanted to be an agent of change of this fucked up society. A little bit of progress is still a progress.

If he cannot move a giant stone, then he will move the dwarf stone instead.

If no one will move, this kind of system will remain.

Nasa kalagitnaan ng pag-isip at pagtitimbang ng mga bagay-bagay si attorney Collins ng biglang pumasok ang tatlong punong hukom.

They walked in a midst of chaos. With the authority they holds, all of the people inside the court suddenly calms down.

Ang kaninang maingay na korte ay biglang tumahimik. Their attention were captivated by the three judges in front.

Wearing their robes that screams power and dignity.

"The court is now in session. All rise. " pagbibigay-alam ng nakakataas na hukuman.

They slowly stood up in unison like they were hypnotized. Bowed their heads as a sign of respect.

"Please take a seat," malalim na boses at puno ng awtoridad na saad ng punong hukom.

They were tamed. Mabilis silang umupo ayon sa saad ng punong hukom.

Naroon ang mga kaibigan ng biktima pati na rin ang fiancé nito na hindi magkamayaw sa ka-iiyak sa sulok.

Nakaupo na ang lahat maliban sa dalawang abogado ng magkabilang panig.

The three judges sat comfortably on their assigned seats.

"Let us start, shall we?" tanong ng punong hukom habang inilibot ang kaniyang paningin sa paligid.

"Yes, Your Honor!" the two judges responded in unison.

"Present your statements, then," the middle-seat judge commanded.

"Yes, Your Honor!" the plaintiff's attorney answered. "On December 21, 2020, an incident happened at 5th Avenue, Elinem Street. Johnson Building. Room 041. It was an attempted murder. The victim was identified as a business man— Mr. Brix John Conrad. He is currently staying at Bridgestone Medical Center and still unconscious. He fell into a coma," mahabang pahayag ni attorney Hillary.

Attorney Clinton Jake Hillary stood up confidently while presenting his claim. A man who also work for justice.

Maayos ang tindig nito. He looks quite intimidating. Halatang sanay na itong makipagsagutan sa loob ng korte.

Kung titingnan ay bata pa ito kumpara sa mga abogadong nagtatrabaho sa firm na iyon. Nasa mga 25 years old pa yata ang binata. He looks fearless and armored and the same time.

Suot nito ang walang emosyon nitong mukha habang nagsasalita sa harap ng korte.

From facing the audience his head turned around to face the three judges.

"There is someone who wants to give her statements that can surely help the case. Can I summon her in front, Your Honor?" attorney Hillary requested.

The middle seat judge nodded. "Request granted. Kindly summon her in front."

Tinanguan lang ni attorney Hillary ang isang babae ng tahimik na umiiyak sa sulok. Giving her the signal to come forward and to say what she ought to say.

Pasimpleng pinunasan ng babae ang luha nito, nagmamaga pa ang kaniyang mga mata. She slowly walked towards the center of the court—facing the crowd.

Nang nakarating sa harap ay biglang nagsalita ulit ang punong hukom. "State your name and your relationship to the victim and take the oath of affirmation promising that you will tell us nothing but the truth. Any false information you will uttered can be used against you in the name of law," pagpapa-alala ng punong hukom.

Tumango lang ang babae habang pinigilan ang sariling huwag umiyak ulit.

"I'm Christine Joy Parelejo, the fiancé  of the victim— Mr. Brix John Hilton. Our wedding day is supposed to be tomorrow if this incident did not happened at all. My fiancé is a business man. He closed all the deals with a big projects. Naka on-leave siya for this whole month to prepare for our upcoming wedding. Palagi rin itong tambay sa shop to loosen up and unwind. Minsan niya na rin akong dinala roon. At doon ko nakilala si Mr. Meldred Luis. He is a close friend of my fiancé. Ito ang palaging kausap nito at minsan ay inaya niya pa itong maglaro ng baseball sa tuwing pupunta siya roon. My fiancé is a good man, kaya wala akong makitang motibo ng salarin kung bakit niya ito papatayin. Mr. Meldred Luis was invited to his room a lot of time for a drink. Kaya hindi na nakapagtataka kung alam na nito ang pasikot-sikot ng kuwarto, maging ang schedule nito. I believe in law. I asked for your help. Please open your eyes to see things in the name of law.  May the justice prevails," mahabang litanya ni Ms. Christine Joy Parelejo.

Yumuko muna ito sa harap ng mga tao, sunod ay sa harap ng tatlong  punong hukom bago pumanhik pabalik sa kaniyang puwesto kanina.

He cannot believe that Mr. Meldred Luis can do such thing towards his fiancé. She cannot say that Mr. Luis is guilty nor innocent. Ang ka sagutan sa kaniyang mga haka-haka ay tahimik niya nalang pinapaubaya sa ngalan ng batas.

"Based on Ms. Christine Joy Parelejo's statement, the suspect is closed with the victim. He earned Mr. Hilton's trust kaya basta-basta na lamang itong nakakapasok sa loob ng room unit ng biktima. He is an ex-convict..."

Gasped. That rendered the audience in great shocked.

"The suspect is capable of killing someone. Galing ito sa bilangguan sa kasong pagpatay. Kaya hindi na nakakapagtaka kung papatay ulit ito sa pangalawang pagkakataon. He wanted to kill the victim out of jealousy. Sa kadahilanang angat sa lipunan at tagumpay sa buhay ang nasabing kaibigan. But he failed to do so. He failed to kill the victim, Your Honor!"

"Objection, Your Honor! The plaintiff's are stating baseless accusation based on circumstantial evidence. I request attorney Hillary to provide evidence to claim his statement," attorney Collins objected.

"Request granted. Attorney Hillary please refrain yourself from claiming something without an evidence. A claim without evidence is invalid inside the court room. I hope you will keep that in mind. Please provide evidence to support your claims," saad ng punong hukom Kay attorney Hillary.

"Yes, Your Honor! In the day of the accident, the suspect— Mr. Meldred Luis was caught on the act. May hawak itong telepono at akmang tatawag ng kung sinuman. Nakahawak ang kamay nito sa leeg ng biktima. Wari ay sinusuri kung may pulso pa ito. Pero bago pa siya makatawag ng kasama, biglang bumukas ang pintuan ng room unit ni Mr. Brix John Hilton. Napapalibutan siya ng mga pulis. Leaving with no choice, at sa kaalamang wala itong laban sa kanila, sumama ito ng kusa sa presinto."

"Objection, Your Honor! My client go with the police officers in peace for he knows that he is not guilty for anything."

"I hereby present to you the evidences to support my claim, Your Honor!"

Tumango lang ang punong hukom. As a signaled to continue what attorney Hillary is saying.

"Let me show you a picture," saad ni attorney Hillary sa harap ng korte. "Let's start from exhibit 1."

The judges nodded as they flipped the pages of the paper in front of them, until it reached the said documents.

Exhibit 1

(December 21, 2020)

*a photo of a baseball bat full of the victim's blood.

Mula sa malaking projector sa harap ay makikita ang isang bagay na hindi mo aakalaing gagamit upang pumatay ng isang tao.

Tutok na tutok sa projector ang mga taong nasa loob ng korte.

It rendered them speechless. Wondering how come a simple baseball bat can possibly lost someone's life.

"In exhibit 1, the weapon used by the suspect to execute his plan can be seen," pagpapaliwang ni attorney Hillary. "In page 35, the suspect's fingerprints was found on the baseball bat based on the results of record as it undergone multiple testing," dagdag pa nito.

"Objection, Your Honor! My client is a regular worker in his friend's shop. Cleaning different kind of sports materials. So even he did not touch the weapon during the crime happens, his fingerprints will surely be found. That baseball bat came from their shop. It also the same bat they used when they play baseball together. So that explains why his fingerprints was detected on the weapon used in the crime scene," pagtutol ni attorney Collins.

Now the audience were torn whom to believe anymore. They focused on the picture flashed on the projector and give it some thought. That can be the case, they thought. They nodded as a sign of agreement.

"Let's proceed to exhibit 2," pag-basag ni attorney Hillary sa namumuong tension sa paligid.

Ramdam niya, ramdam nila ang biglang pagbago ng ihip ng hangin sa pagitan nilang lahat.

Another picture was flashed in front of them all.

Exhibit 2

(December 20, 2021)

* the part of the body injured.

Kita mula sa larawan sa harap ang duguang ulo ng biktima. Nakatungo sa harap ng lababo habang puno ng dugo ang kanang bahagi ng ulo nito.

"In exhibit 2, it showed that the victim was smashed from behind. He was hit unknowingly and it took him by surprise kaya hindi ito nakalaban pabalik. It resulted to a massive bleeding causing him to lost his consciousness. By that time, the suspect check his pulse to know if he is still alive or not. On cue, the police officers arrived and caught Mr. Luis in that scenario. He was caught on act," attorney Hillary explained.

That produced another waves of reaction from the audience.

"Objection, Your Honor! My client rushed towards Mr. Hilton's room right after he received a suspicious message from Mr. Hilton himself. Let me show you the pictures."

The three judges nodded.

On cue, he give the flash drive to the operator to connect it to the projector.

When it successfully connected, he grab the mini remote to move the slides respectively.

Exhibit 1

(December 21, 2020)

1:25 pm

Hey, bro! Are you busy?

Not really. Nagbabantay lang ako sa shop. May problema ba?

Wala naman. I have a guest now in my room unit. He wanted to talk to me regarding the deal I closed.

Oh, you closed a deal again?

Yes.

"Exhibit 1 is just a screenshot photo from Mr. Luis' phone. Let's proceed to exhibit 2, 3 and 4, to take a peak of the continuation of their conversation,"attorney Collins continued.

Exhibit 2

(December 2, 2021)

1:42 pm

We should celebrate that!

Should we? Right. Anyway, Mr. Jade Vergara is in rage now. I just took the chance to message you by coming here in the kitchen to put the cups we used after drinking tea. I have a bad feelng abt ths.

"In exhibit 2, as you can see, Mr. Meldred was informed by the current situation Mr. Hilton was in in that very moment. And if you paid close attention to the last part of his message, the vowels of each words is lacking. Wherein, 'yong naunang mga salita naman sa mensahe nito ay kumpleto. Suspicious, right?" tanong ni attorney Collins sa masa. "It is a clear indication that Mr. Hilton was in hurry. Probably, he heard Mr. Vergara's footsteps coming. That's the time Mr. Hilton stop responding to his friend's messages, am I right Mr. Luis?" tanong ni attorney Collins sa sariling kliyente.

Mr. Meldred Luis nodded.

Attorney Collins clicked the next slide.

Exhibit 3

(December 21, 2020)

2:02 pm

Should I go there?

Hey!

Is everything okay?

You are not responding!

Hey, bro!

"That's when Mr. Luis suddenly felt nervous. Mr. Hilton just stop responding to his messages in the midst of that kind of situation. That's when he knows everything does not feels right. He waited for another couple of minutes. Thirty minutes had passed before he finally received a message from Mr. Hilton."

Exhibit 4

(December 21, 2020)

2:32 pm

Come here before it is too late.

"That's when Mr. Luis leaved rushing out towards Mr. Hilton room's unit. When he opened the room of his friend's unit, he was welcomed by chaos. The things were scattered everywhere. The real culprit made it looked like a stealing incident, where in fact, it is an attempted murder incident."

Gasped.

Attorney Hillary's eyes widened in shock.

"A-Are you saying that a third party was involved, attorney Collins?" attorney Hillary asked —hardly digesting what he just heard.

"Yes, that's right." attorney Collins responded. "Upon texting Mr. Luis using Mr. Hilton's phone, the culprit deleted all the messages so that the authority cannot trace anything. He did it on purpose to frame-up Mr. Luis. For Mr. Luis to take the fall to the crime he did not commit. The culprit is also the one who called the authority. The scene where Mr. Luis looked like he was caught on the act is actually the moment when his trying to call an ambulance for his friend to received medical attention as soon as possible. And in addition, Mr. Luis is left handed. If he is really the culprit, the injured part of the victim should be in his left head. The culprit chose the wrong man to take the fall. He thought he deleted all the traces. But as I checked upon Mr. Hilton's phone, he has a notes of the list of names of the deals he closed, including its rival. I investigated them all one by one, and one of them fit all the evidences we gathered. He even went far by paying the building owner to take down all the CCTV footages and made it looked like they encountered technical problems. The real culprit is one of Mr. Hilton's rival. He is also a businessman. The real culprit is here with us today," attorney said with conviction.

Napuno ng bulungan ang paligid. They were searching someone who can possibly be the real culprit.

Suddenly feeling ashamed of what they are thinking about Mr. Luis just because of its past.

They painted him as a villain where in fact, Mr. Luis is just an understood character. A victim of wrong judgment.

At the moment, the audience sympathize with him. Knowing that he went through a lot of hardships.

Left alone by his own family for years and counting. For the second time around, he is too closed to be abandoned again.

On the other hand, a man in business suit sweats really hard. Pinagpawisan ito ng marami. Nakayuko lamang ito, trying his best to avoid meeting eye contact to anyone. He hardly breathing. Pigil hininga itong nakayuko na para bang kasalanan na rin pati ang paghinga.

He tried hard not to get any attention from anyone. Wishing to just disappeared at the moment.

Indeed. Attorney Collins is no joke, he thought. He succeed following the traces in spite of lacking some pieces. Attorney Collins successfully complete the puzzle.

Isang tawag ang tuluyang nag-bigay sa lalaki ng katapusan.

"Mr. Jade Vergara, can you come forward?" the middle seat judge asked.

From then, Mr. Vergara raised his head. All eyes were on him. Staring him through his soul.

He felt small.

He felt intimidated.

That moment when he wandered his eyes around meeting all their gazes, one thing is for sure, he is doomed.

There is no way out.

Mr. Vergara was summoned in front. After seeing all the evidences pointing to him, from the CCTV footage of him coming in and out from the building to the gloves he used and to his fingerprints that was found on his used cup of tea.

Leaving with no choice, he admit his crime.

According to him, that deal with a big project is supposed to be his. But because Mr. Hilton interfered, he got the deal closed instead. He tried to talk with him in a gentle manner. But no to avail. Mr. Hilton does not want to withdraw the deal.

That's when Mr. Vergara's anger flared up. Resulting to killing Mr. Hilton by smashing its head.

That day is indeed a long day to all of them.

Mr. Luis was given an innocent verdict while Mr. Vergara received his punishment inside the prison for years.

Justice finally prevailed. All is well.