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Manila Bulletin devider Entertainment devider Nones, Cruz plead not guilty in rape case filed by Sandro Muhlach

Nones, Cruz plead not guilty in rape case filed by Sandro Muhlach

Published Mar 1, 2025 01:33 pm

Two GMA Network independent contractors pleaded not guilty in the rape case filed by actor Sandro Muhlach.

Jojo Nones and Richard Cruz are facing a case of rape by sexual assault.

Cases of rape and acts of lasciviousness were filed against the two before Pasay courts. The incident allegedly happened in a hotel room in July last year.

Nones and Cruz were arraigned at the Pasay Regional Trial Court Branch 114 and pleaded not guilty to the rape case, according to their lawyer Maggie Abraham-Garduque.

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Actor Sandro Muhlach (Photo from Muhlach's Instagram account)

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Richard Cruz and Jojo Nones during a Senate hearing about Sandro Muhlach's complaint last year (Photo courtesy of Voltaire F. Domingo/Senate Social Media Unit)

They were arraigned after the court denied their motion to quash.

“We had the option to file a motion for reconsideration but we decided to just fight the case on the merits,” said Abraham-Garduque on the dismissal of the motion to quash.

She added that they “attended the hearing and manifested that we are willing to proceed for arraignment and my clients entered their plea of ‘not guilty.’”

According to her, the hearing for the initial reception of evidence for the prosecution will start on March 19.

“So trial na po ang sunod and ang prosecution po ang may burden to prove the guilt of my clients for the crime charged beyond reasonable doubt, otherwise the presumption of innocence of my clients stands. So let us see on the subsequent hearings if the prosecution can overcome their burden,” she said.

Earlier, the Pasay Metropolitan Trial Court Branch 46 dismissed the two cases of acts of lasciviousness filed by Muhlach against Nones and Cruz.

“They are happy with the dismissal of the acts of lasciviousness before the MTC. As to the denial of their motion to quash naman sa RTC, they are quite disappointed but they respected the resolution of the court. So with respect to that case, trial will be the best test of their innocence,” said Abraham-Garduque.

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