The construction worker recently arrested by police authorities in Naic, Cavite was one of three brother wanted for the fatal shooting of a sleeping man in Baras town in 2019.
Last March 7, 2025, Rannie Sarte Torno, 38, a native of Agban, and then residing in Sahud-Ulan, Tanza, Cavite, was nabbed by personnel of the Baras police station led by Assistant Chief of Police Brenda Hate, together with the Catanduanes Provincial Intelligence Unit, Regional Special Operations Unit 5 and the Naic police station, on the basis of arrest warrants issued by the Virac Regional Trial Court.
Records show that in the evening of March 11, 2019, Marlon Lizaso was shot while he was sleeping inside his house in barangay Agban. Having sustained a gunshot wound in the head, he was then taken to the Eastern Bicol Medical Center where he died while being treated.
During the investigation, two witnesses told the police that they saw Marlon and his brothers Freddie and Jonelle running away from the scene of the crime.
While the Baras police were preparing the case against the brothers, Freddie was arrested for illegal possession of firearm after a Cal. 38 revolver was found on him during a court-ordered search on March 19, 18 days after Lizaso’s death.
He was charged for the offense but pleaded guilty to a lesser offense and was sentenced to imprisonment of two to six years plus a fine of P10,000 on June 1, 2019.
Nearly two months later, on July 23, 2019, while Freddie was serving his sentence on the gun case, the police filed the murder rap against the Torno brothers.
Only Freddie was arraigned and tried as his brothers remained at large.
On Oct. 4, 2022, the RTC found Freddie guilty of homicide and sentenced him to a prison term of 10 to 17 years and to pay Lizaso’s heirs a total of P250,000 in indemnity and damages.
He subsequently brought his case to the Court of Appeals, which brushed aside his claim of errors in the lower court’s judgment.
In affirming the RTC decision, the CA’s Second Division said that the prosecution’s circumstantial evidence was enough to establish the commission of the crime and his identity as one of the malefactors in the Lizaso killing.
It also stated that implied conspiracy between the Torno brothers was present in the case based on the witnesses’ testimony.