END OF THE LINE. Rape-slay convict Antonio Sanchez was found dead inside his New Bilibid Prison cell on Saturday (March 27, 2021) morning. The former Calauan, Laguna mayor was serving seven counts of reclusion perpetua after he was convicted in 1995 for the killing of University of the Philippines Los Baños students Mary Eileen Sarmenta and Allan Gomez. (PNA file photo)
MANILA – The results of a post mortem examination on the remains of former Calauan mayor Antonio Sanchez will decide whether further inquiry is needed.
Bureau of Corrections spokesperson Gabriel Chaglag confirmed Sanchez, born in 1949 according to records, was found unconscious inside his cell at the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) in Muntinlupa City on Saturday morning.
He was taken to the NBP Hospital but was declared dead on arrival.
It was previously reported that Sanchez had had pre-existing conditions such as asthma, chronic kidney disease, hypertension, prostate problems, and gastroenteritis.
“Let’s wait for the autopsy report,” Department of Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said in a statement on Saturday, confirming that an autopsy will be performed once his family allows it.
Sanchez was serving seven counts of reclusion perpetua after he was convicted in 1995 by then Pasig judge Harriet Demetriou along with seven of his men for the abduction, rape and killing of University of the Philippines Los Baños students Mary Eileen Sarmenta and Allan Gomez in 1993.
The incident happened at Sanchez’s farm in Barangay Curba.
The conviction was affirmed by the Supreme Court in 1999. That same year, the Supreme Court also upheld the conviction of Sanchez for the deaths of father and son Nelson and Rickson Peñalosa, supporters of his political rival, two years before the Sarmenta-Gomez slay.
“Mayor Sanchez has reached the end of his natural life. May God forgive him for all his trespasses,” Guevarra added.
In 2019, Sanchez was almost released under the Good Conduct Time Allowance law but he was disqualified as heinous crime offenders are not qualified. (PNA)
