Retired judge Lizama supports commuting Manila’s sentence

Retired Superior Court associate judge Juan Lizama highlighted the need for compassion with respect to the possible commutation of the 60-year prison sentence of Reynaldo A. Manila, who was convicted in 2002 for the death of his 6-month-old goddaughter.

The CNMI Board of Parole unanimously voted on Dec. 23 to recommend commuting Manila’s sentence. The decision now rests with the Office of the Governor.

When asked whether his support is related to Manila’s deteriorating health, Lizama noted a different reason that many not have been considered.

Although he does not know Manila or any of his family members personally, Lizama said he has followed the case for many years and had hoped for the day when Manila’s sentence would be commuted.

“It is the right thing to do. Mr. Manila has served more years than anyone who has ever served a sentence for a baby’s death. I commend the parole board, its chairman, and its legal counsel for their recommendation to the acting governor,” he said.

Research shows that the average sentence for those convicted of shaken baby syndrome is no more than 12 years throughout U.S. jurisdictions and such was the case in the early 2000s when all convicted defendants would most likely get released in four years.

“At that time, I was privileged to have attended a symposium on shaken baby syndrome death and sentencing. The observation the participants gave was that defendants would serve a minimum of four years,” he said.

Manila has already served 15 years in prison after a jury found him guilty of second-degree murder and child abuse.

Lizama also pointed out that Manila received a 60-year sentence around the same period of time when national experts still found shaken baby syndrome deaths hard to prove.

“Shaken-baby syndrome death is hard to prove and here is a guy who continues to say he didn’t kill, he didn’t kill,” Lizama said, adding that jurists throughout the country find the causation of death in shaken baby death cases the hardest to pinpoint.

“We just have to look at the administrative process here, appreciate that it exists and commend [those who] make the right decisions,” he said.

Last week, the six-member parole board chaired by Ramon B. Camacho reached their decision after listening to the testimonies of three persons, including the baby’s parents, who opposed commutation, and five others who supported commuting Manila’s sentence. Their recommendation has been sent to the governor who will decide on the commutation today.

Manila, a Filipino national, was 39 years old when then-Superior Court Associate Judge Virginia Sablan-Onerheim sentenced him in June 2002 to 60 years in prison over the death of the infant who lingered in the hospital for several days before dying on Nov. 6, 2000.