Campbell’s slay suspect pleads for forgiveness

LAGAWE, Ifugao – Self-confessed killer Juan Donald Dontugan, 25, was remorseful of his crime that he asked family of slain peace corps volunteer Julia Campbell for forgiveness and consideration. Dontugan, now six months in jail at the Ifugao Provincial jail in Tiger, Hill in Kiangan, was alone at the bench for the accused during the October 8 hearing of the murder charge lodged against him for the brutal slay of Campbell, 40, last April 8 in Battad village, Banaue, Ifugao. It was the second formal hearing of Dontugan who admitted killing Campbell. Despite his public confession, Dontugan, however, pleaded not guilty of the murder charge because he said he mistook Campbell as his bullying neighbor. “I really regret what happened and as I sit down here every hearing, I wish this thing did not happen to me. I wish I did not commit the crime," he said. “I appeal to the family of Julia to be considerate and to forgive me," he added. Dontugan confided to government information officer Vency Bulayungan that if allowed to rewind his time, there is one thing that he wanted to delete in his life and that is killing US Peace Corps volunteer Julia Campbell. “I am really sorry for what I have done," he said. During the previous hearings, relatives and friends attended to provide moral support but last week, nobody was there. He confided to Bulayungan that he missed his family, especially his three children aged seven, five and three with the fourth due to be born in November this year. Dontugan said that the only thing he is hopeful about is for the crime to be reduced from murder to homicide, “since I admitted from the very beginning that I committed the crime." But prosecution lawyer Reynaldo Agranzamendez, hired by the Campbell’s, remained firm on the murder charge, which the prosecution hopes would be decided in March or April next year. Agranzamendez presented three of their 16 witnesses last October 8 to prove the occurrence of crime and identity of the victim through corpus delicti. (Latin for the "body of the crime." Used to describe physical evidence, such as the corpse of a murder victim or the charred frame of a torched building). The murder trial in the killing of American Peace Corps volunteer is a step forward as witnesses confirmed that the recovered body in a shallow grave was that of Campbell who went missing for 10 days. Campbell in a half body picture with black shirt and denim pants had her last smiling shot with the background of the majestic Battad terraces that mystified the adventurous peace corps volunteer to her death. The picture provided by the family of Campbell was developed from a recovered digital camera. Under remorse, Dontugan said his case should serve as a lesson to others so that they should control their anger. - GMANews.TV