Joel Escorial, the individual who admitted to being the shooter in the murder of radio commentator Percival “Percy Lapid” Mabasa, has formally requested a Las Piñas court to permit him to enter a guilty plea for the reduced charge of homicide, as indicated in a court document.
“[I]n the interest of justice and for the mutual benefit of the State and the accused, it is most respectfully prayed of this Honorable Court to allow accused Joel Escorial y Salve to enter into plea bargaining to lesser offense of homicide,” read his motion for plea bargaining, submitted through his legal representative from the Public Attorney’s Office.
Escorial is currently confronting a murder accusation at the Las Piñas Regional Trial Court Branch 254 in relation to the demise of Percy Lapid. He is co-defendants with former Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) chief Gerald Bantag and several others.
Three of his co-accused, who are acknowledged leaders of gangs within the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) where the purported planning of the killing occurred, have admitted guilt as accessories to the murder charge. They have been handed prison sentences of up to 8 years.
Bantag and his deputy, Ricardo Zulueta, are currently evading authorities and are considered fugitives.
They have submitted a petition to the Court of Appeals, contesting the resolution of the Department of Justice (DOJ) prosecutor that charges them with murder.
On the evening of October 3, 2022, Percy Lapid was fatally shot outside his residential subdivision in Las Piñas.
Percy Lapid gunman wants plea bargain deal
Escorial voluntarily turned himself into the police a few days after the incident. His image, as captured by surveillance footage, had been broadcast nationwide on television.
Escorial confessed that three other accomplices accompanied him at the shooting. It is claimed that the directive to carry out the killing originated from within the New Bilibid Prison (NBP).
Escorial revealed that he and his associates received a sum of P550,000 as compensation for carrying out the hit, of which P140,000 was deposited into his bank account.
He was introduced to the media on October 18, during which he pointed out Jun Villamor, an inmate at Bilibid, as an alleged intermediary.
Regrettably, Villamor met his demise a few hours later, reportedly suffocated by gang members using a plastic bag.
Bantag and several others have been accused in connection with Villamor’s murder as well.
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