Defense lawyers seek lower charge vs Layese

CEBU, Philippines — The lawyers of detained retired Army Col. Edwin Layese, who was tagged as the mastermind in the killing of Cebuano lawyer Joey Luis B. Wee, filed a comment seeking for their client to be labelled only as least guilty of the crime filed against him.

The defense lawyers want Layese be indicted and properly labelled only as either an accomplice or as an accessory for being the least guilty among all the accused instead of being a principal.

This, after Department of Justice (DOJ) Prosecutors  Michael John Humarang, Susan Azarcon and Richard Anthony Fadullon filed  a motion amending their information to include retired Court of Appeals Justice Isaias Dicdican as principal together with Layese in relation to the murder of Wee.

In their amended information dated April 29, 2025, the DOJ prosecutors accused Layese and Dicdican of the crime for murder committed at 1:25 p.m. on Nov. 23, 2020 in Cebu City.

The state prosecutors said that accused Layese and  Dicdican, with deliberate intent to kill, with treachery, and evident premeditation, conniving, confederating, and mutually helping with John Raymond Cabantao Suarez, Randy Benito Palparan, two John Does and/or Jane Does, and one Fausto Edgar Benigno Peralta, whose case for murder  has been docketed as Criminal Case No. R CEB-21-00141-CR and presently pending before the Regional Trial Court Branch 14, acted as the mastermind and/or contractor in the gun-slay of Wee.

Wee died on the spot from two gunshot wounds at the vicinity of ALCHI Building in J. Panis St. Brgy. Kasambagan, Cebu City.

Currently, only Layese is being charged for murder and he is detained in a jail facility in Cebu City. Dicdican is still at large.

With the DOJ amended information, Layese’s lawyers Courtney Psalm Villagonzalo and Rameses Victorious Villagonzalo filed a comment on the motion for leave to admit the DOJ’s amended information on May 15, 2025.

The defense lawyers welcomed this development that the mastermind has finally been indicted.

“Since the State Prosecutors of the Department of Justice (DOJ) Manila found a prima facie case with reasonable certainty of conviction against mastermind Dicdican, this implies that the extrajudicial confession executed by herein accused Layese has probative value and is considered credible,” the defense lawyers said.

However, the defense lawyers noted that the amended information Layese and Dicdican were mentioned to have been "conniving, confederating, and mutually helping" the gunmen.

The defense lawyers maintained that Layese is the least guilty among all the accused as he allegedly merely served as a "canvasser" or "go-between" Dicdican and the gunmen.

“With this, we humbly plead the Honorable Court and the State, in this Amended Information, that Layese be indicted and properly labelled only as either an accomplice or as an accessory for being the least guilty,” the defense lawyers said.

To recall, the  Supreme Court formally charged Dicdican with gross misconduct for his alleged involvement in the murder of Wee.

Atty. Rameses earlier said that on Dec. 14, 2023, Layese executed a judicial affidavit of confession detailing his participation and that of the real masterminds, namely, Dicdican and another female individual who was only identified as Miss Riza/ Risa.

In his notarized 18-page extra-judicial confession, Layese narrated and pinpointed to Dicdican and Miss Riza/Risa as the masterminds in Wee's killing. — (FREEMAN)