The three Caloocan policemen accused of killing and framing 17-year-old Kian Loyd delos Santos pleaded not guilty during their arraignment on Monday.
PO3 Arnel Oares, PO1 Jeremias Pereda and PO1 Jeffrey Perez, former members of the Police Community Precinct 7, are facing charges of murder and planting of illegal drugs and firearms in the Caloocan Regional Trial Court Branch 125.
The filing of the case against them and their civilian informant, Renato 鈥淣onong鈥� Loveras, was recommended last year by the Department of Justice after they allegedly conspired to kill Delos Santos.
The three had claimed that the teenager fired shots at them as they were conducting a 鈥淥ne Time, Big Time鈥� operation in Barangay 160 on Aug. 16, 2016.
But witnesses, security footage and forensic evidence later showed that they had dragged away the unresisting and unarmed teenager as he was closing down the family鈥檚 store. Delos Santos was then beaten and shot dead as he was kneeling on the ground, begging for his life.
The Grade 12 student鈥檚 killing, alongside that of 19-year-old Carl Angelo Arnaiz and 14-year-old Reynaldo 鈥淜ulot鈥� de Guzman, led to public outrage over alleged police abuses in the conduct of President Duterte鈥檚 war on drugs.
Loveras, who had tagged Delos Santos as a drug courier, did not show up at the arraignment.
Presiding Judge Rodolfo Azucena Jr., meanwhile, set the next hearing on March 19 and promised a speedy trial.