Jury trial begins for man accused of beating and robbing masseuse

A Superior Court jury trial of Jodan Santos Taitingfong started yesterday over the alleged beating of a masseuse during a robbery inside her apartment room at Micro Beach in western Garapan on July 7, 2016.

When Saipan Tribune left the courtroom yesterday at 4:10pm, the prosecution’s third witness, former Department of Public Safety’s crime scene technician Jeffrey Bahillo, was still on the witness stand.

Assistant attorney general Teri Tenorio first called to the witness stand Police Officer Jason Bahillo followed by Police Officer Rudolpho Hermosilla.

At the government’s opening statements, Tenorio asked the eight jurors to listen carefully to the testimony of witnesses, look at the evidence, and return a guilty verdict against Taitingfong as to the charges of robbery, and aggravated assault, and battery.

Tenorio said testimonies and evidence will show that in the early morning of July 7, 2016, Taitingfong violently attacked the victim, causing her serious injuries, inside her room at Micro Beach Hotel.

Tenorio said the evidence such as surveillance camera will show that Taitingfong was carrying the victim’s purse after she was beaten up.

In Taitingfong’s opening statements, defense counsel Rosemond Santos said the defendant does not dispute that he went to the room of the alleged victim to get a massage.

Santos said the defendant, however, did not commit crimes.

“This is a case of rush to judgment,” Santos said, adding that during the trial the jurors will find more questions than answers.

Jason Bahillo testified that on that day, July 7, he was assigned with the DPS Tourists Oriented Policing in Garapan when he was dispatched at 2:17am to Micro Beach about a complaint of assault and battery.

Bahillo said he learned that the suspect assaulted the masseuse in her room and that her purse containing money and items was stolen.

Bahillo said he noticed that the victim’s mouth was bleeding and her left eye and cheek were swollen.

He also observed drips of blood on the floor of the bedroom, restroom, bed, and in the sink.

Bahillo said the victim was moaning in pain and she was mumbling.

He said the victim could not even say a word due to her injuries.

Bahillo said he conducted an investigation, called medics, detectives, and a crime scene technician.

Bahillo said he later interviewed the victim in the hospital with the help of an interpreter.

He said the employee of the hotel later showed him the surveillance camera’s footage that captured the suspect and the victim entering the hotel’s main entrance.

Bahillo said the suspect was wearing a hat and that he could not identify him in the footage.

Hermosilla testified he was a patrol officer at that time and was writing a report at DPS Central when he was dispatched to Micro Beach Hotel because of the incident.

Hermosilla said on his way to Garapan, he saw an item on the road as he was driving near the DHL office along Chalan Pale Arnold in Chalan Laulau.

Hermosilla said he picked up the item from the road because it was an obstruction to vehicles and put in the truck’s bed.

Hermosilla said upon arrival at the scene, he learned that the victim’s bag was stolen.

He then told an officer that he picked up from the road a bag and that he later found matched the description of the victim’s stolen bag.

Police investigation showed that the purse was worth $500 and that it contained $56 and other items.

After Hermosilla, Officer Jeffrey Bahillo testified how he processed the crime scene by taking pictures.