TIMELINE: Vizconde Massacre

From the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

MANILA, Philippines—Below are some of the highlights of a murder case that has gripped the nation for nearly two decades:

June 30, 1991. A mother and her two daughters are found dead in their own home. Estrellita Vizconde, 47, had 13 stab wounds; 18-year-old Carmela had 17 wounds and was raped before she was killed; 7-year-old Jennifer had 19 wounds.

June 1995. Jessica Alfaro, a confessed drug addict, who claims to have witnessed the massacre, testifies in court.

August 1995. Based on Alfaro’s account, the justice department finds probable cause and files rape and murder charges against Hubert Webb, Antonio “Tony Boy” Lejano, Michael Gatchalian, Miguel Rodriguez, Peter Estrada, and Pyke Fernandez in the Parañaque Regional Trial Court.

Two other suspects, Joey Filart and Dong Ventura, remain at large to this day.

1997. Parañaque RTC Judge Amelita Tolentino turns down Webb’s request for DNA testing to see if the DNA in the recovered semen samples from Carmela would match his.

Jan. 6, 2000. Judge Tolentino finds Webb and the other accused guilty. The accused are sentenced to life imprisonment and ordered to pay Lauro Vizconde, father of Carmela and Jennifer, more than P3 million in damages and legal fees.

Police investigator Gerardo Biong, accused of destroying evidence, is convicted as an accessory to the crime. He is sentenced up to 12 years in prison.

The accused are transferred to the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa City.

Full timeline at the Philippine Daily Inquirer.