2 kidnappers of 'Joseph Estrada' sentenced to life imprisonment
Two people were sentenced to life imprisonment after they were found guilty of kidnapping a man with the same name as former President Joseph Estrada in Quezon City two years ago.
Judge Rafael Hipolito, of the QC Regional Trial Court Branch 215, also ordered the convicts Christian Rueda and Jiovani Ojeda to pay their victim damages and other fees aside from the penalty of reclusion perpetua during a virtual promulgation of judgment.
Brig. Gen. Jonnel Estomo, director of the Anti-Kidnapping Group (AKG), said the incident happened on June 30, 2018 with the suspects using the "modus" of selling a Sports Utility Vehicle as a front for their kidnapping activities.
Estomo said the two convicts were able to convince the victim identified as Joseph Estrada to buy a second-hand black SUV. But on his way, Estrada noticed that a key was left inside the car and he also noticed that there was something wrong with the car.
The victim immediately contacted the two convicts who immediately agreed to meet him the following a day to get the key and fix the car.
It was then that the victim was hit and blindfolded by the two. They declared that they just wanted P300,000 in exchange for his release.
The victim’s family was not able to pay the ransom as they were unable to withdraw from their nearby bank since it was a Saturday. It was then that the two convicts forced the victim to withdraw from a bank in Marikina City which is open on Saturday.
While inside the bank, the victim took advantage of the situation to create commotion which prompted the suspects to escape.
The two convicts were arrested when they forced the victim to give them P500,000 after a few days in exchange for not killing his family. They were arrested in an entrapment set up by AKG operatives.

