Photo credit: DILG

Suspected Gunman Joel Escorial has been handed a sentence ranging from eight years and eight months to 16 years by Judge Cesar Huliganga in Las Piñas. He has confessed to being the gunman in the Percy Lapid case.

Escorial will remain in the custody of the PNP Custodial Center until the trial of another alleged accomplice, Christoper Bacoto, concludes. Bacoto, implicated in the crime, awaits further legal proceedings.

Meanwhile, doubts surrounding the circumstances of Ricardo Zulueta's alleged death in Bataan have prompted Judge Huliganga to direct Zulueta's counsel to address prosecutors' requests for an autopsy, signaling ongoing investigations into the case.