LA TRINIDAD, Benguet – A dismissed police officer tagged as the principal suspect in the murder of a businessman and a security guard pleaded not guilty on the double murder case filed against him during recent arraignment proceedings before Judge Eduardo Diaz de Rivera of the Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 10 here.
PO2 Frenzel Mendoza, a former member of the La Trinidad municipal police station, was charged for double murder and frustrated murder after he allegedly went in a shooting rampage in front of the Midtown Restaurant along Km. 6 sometime in August that resulted to the untimely demise of Cesar Degay, 38, a businessman and part owner of the said establishment, Sonny Awingan, a security guard of the restaurant and the wounding of a certain Reynante Copis.
He was ordered dismissed from the service after being found guilty of administrative charges, particularly grave abuse of authority, grave misconduct and conduct prejudicial to the interest of the service by the Internal Affairs Service of the Police Regional Office (PRO) in the Cordillera.
The pre-trial on Mendoza’s case was set by the court sometime during the middle part of February next year.