Legal Insights
Plain-language guides and case briefs on Philippine law — researched from the firm's law library of 184,000+ statutes, Supreme Court decisions, and agency issuances, and written so non-lawyers can understand and act on them.
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Traffic Altercation Turns Deadly: When a Single Gunshot Is Homicide, Not Murder
A road-rage shooting kills a pregnant woman. The Supreme Court explains why the killing was homicide, not murder, absent treachery.
Murder to Homicide: Proving Evident Premeditation and Treachery in Philippine Law
When the prosecution fails to prove evident premeditation or treachery, a murder conviction falls to homicide. Learn the rules from People v. Aytalin.
Eyewitness Testimony and Treachery in Philippine Murder Cases: People v. Bacus
How a single credible eyewitness can prove murder and treachery in the Philippines, explained through People v. Bacus.
Reasonable Doubt and Witness Credibility: Protecting the Accused's Rights in Philippine Criminal Law
The Supreme Court clarifies when a conviction stands, how self-defense is proven, and why treachery must be established beyond reasonable doubt.
Lack of Treachery Evidence Reduces Murder Charge to Homicide: People v. Crisanto
When prosecution fails to prove treachery, a murder conviction may be reduced to homicide. Learn the rules from People v. Crisanto.
Treachery in Philippine Criminal Law: The Element of Surprise in Murder Convictions
Understand how treachery qualifies killing as murder under Philippine law, explained through a Supreme Court ruling on a 1993 shooting.
Homicide Conviction Reversed: The Importance of Pleading Treachery in Criminal Informations
Supreme Court clarifies that qualifying circumstances like treachery must be alleged in the Information, or the accused can only be convicted of the lesser crime.
Treachery in Philippine Law: Ensuring Justice for Victims of Sudden Attacks
How Philippine courts define treachery in murder cases, and why conspiracy requires more than mere presence at the crime scene.
Treachery in Criminal Law: Establishing Intent in Sudden Attacks
The Supreme Court explains how sudden, unexpected attacks establish treachery in murder cases, even when attacker and victim exchange words first.
Treachery Defined Establishing Murder Through Unexpected Attack
Self-Defense, Unlawful Aggression, and Conspiracy: Lessons from People v. Tumayao
The Supreme Court clarifies self-defense, conspiracy, and treachery in a murder case, and explains the effect of an accused's death on appeal.
Treachery and Intent: Differentiating Murder and Homicide in Philippine Law
The Supreme Court clarifies when treachery qualifies a killing as murder and when it remains homicide, in People v. Lucena.
Treachery and Witness Credibility: When Conspiracy Fails in Philippine Murder Cases
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on when presence at a crime scene does not prove conspiracy in murder, and the importance of witness credibility.
Positive Identification and Treachery: The Murder Conviction of Arnel Mataro and Nick Perucho
How eyewitness identification and treachery secured murder convictions, and how damages were computed on appeal.
Conspiracy and Treachery in Joint Attacks: What the Supreme Court Says
A look at how the Supreme Court applies conspiracy and treachery to hold all joint attackers liable for murder.
Conspiracy and Abuse of Superior Strength: Defining Murder in Philippine Law
Explaining how conspiracy and treachery elevate killing to murder under Philippine law, based on People v. Ellado.
Treachery in Philippine Criminal Law: Ensuring Justice for Victims of Sudden Attacks
How Philippine courts apply treachery to qualify killings as murder, explained through a Supreme Court ruling on a sudden stabbing.
Media Confessions and Treachery: Examining the Admissibility of TV Broadcasts in Murder Convictions
How the Supreme Court treated a TV confession in a murder case, and the rules on treachery, unlicensed firearms, and damages.
Treachery Despite Frontal Attack When Suddenness Negates Self Defense
Learn when a frontal attack can still be treacherous, and why claiming self-defense requires proving unlawful aggression with clear and convincing evidence.
Justice Sees Through The Night: Eyewitness Testimony And Treachery In Murder Convictions
The Supreme Court affirms a murder conviction based on a single eyewitness's credible night-time identification, explaining treachery and unlicensed firearm rules.
Circumstantial Evidence and Treachery in Murder Convictions Without Direct Witnesses
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on conviction for murder based on eyewitness identification, treachery, and the weakness of alibi defense.
Self-Defense Unproven: The Limits of Justification in Homicide Cases
When alibi and self-defense fail: how Philippine courts weigh positive identification, treachery, and degrees of homicide.
When Flight Equals Guilt Examining Evidence AND Treachery IN Philippine Murder Cases
The Supreme Court affirms murder convictions, clarifying flight, treachery, and evidence rules in criminal cases.
Treachery in Criminal Law: When Unexpected Attacks Constitute Murder
The Supreme Court explains when a sudden, unexpected attack constitutes treachery and qualifies a killing as murder under Philippine law.