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Vizconde murders

OVERTURNED199180 Vinzons Street, BF Homes, Parañaque, Metro Manila, Philippines3 SOURCESUPDATED JUL 2026
Illustrative

On the night of June 29–30, 1991, Estrellita Vizconde, 49, her daughter Carmela, 19, and her seven-year-old daughter were killed at the family's residence in BF Homes, Paranaque, Metro Manila. All three suffered fatal stab wounds, and Carmela was sexually assaulted. Lauro Vizconde, Estrellita's husband and the father of the two daughters, was in the United States on business at the time.

The case remained unresolved for nearly four years. An early investigation focused on members of an alleged burglary group, but those defendants said they had been coerced into confessing and were acquitted by a trial court in September 1993 for insufficient evidence.

In 1995, prosecutors charged Hubert Webb and several co-defendants, relying heavily on testimony from a purported eyewitness. Webb denied the charges and maintained that he had been in the United States from March 1991 to October 1992. Trial proceedings began in August 1995.

On January 6, 2000, the Paranaque Regional Trial Court convicted Webb, Peter Estrada, Hospicio Fernandez, Michael Gatchalian, Antonio Lejano, and Miguel Rodriguez of rape with homicide. Gerardo Biong was convicted as an accessory for evidence tampering. Joey Filart and Artemio Ventura were convicted in absentia and remained at large. The Court of Appeals affirmed the convictions in December 2005.

On December 14, 2010, the Supreme Court reversed the lower-court judgment and acquitted Webb, Lejano, Gatchalian, Fernandez, Rodriguez, Estrada, and Biong because the prosecution had failed to prove their guilt beyond reasonable doubt. The Court found the principal testimony unreliable and concluded that the defense evidence raised reasonable doubt. Filart and Ventura were not appellants before the Court, so their in-absentia convictions were not altered by that decision.

Following the acquittals, the cited authoritative sources do not establish who committed the killings. The case therefore remains unresolved, and no allegation against an acquitted defendant should be presented as evidence of guilt.

Key facts

Victims
Estrellita Vizconde, Lauro Vizconde, Carmela Vizconde, Anne Marie Jennifer Vizconde
Date
1991
Location
80 Vinzons Street, BF Homes, Parañaque, Metro Manila, Philippines
Case status
overturned

Case timeline

  1. 1991-06-30

    Estrellita, Carmela, and Anne Marie Jennifer Vizconde are found killed at their Parañaque home; Carmela had been raped.

  2. 1991-10

    Members of an alleged burglary gang are arrested and presented to media as suspects; they later say they were tortured into confessing.

  3. 1993-09

    The burglary-gang suspects are acquitted by a trial judge for insufficient evidence.

  4. 1995-04-28

    Jessica Alfaro comes forward as an eyewitness, implicating Hubert Webb and others.

  5. 1995-08

    Trial begins before Parañaque RTC Judge Amelita Tolentino.

  6. 1996-10-01

    Judge Tolentino admits only 10 of 142 pieces of defense evidence.

  7. 2000-01-06

    Tolentino finds Webb and five co-accused guilty of rape with homicide; sentences them to reclusion perpetua; Gerardo Biong convicted as accessory.

  8. 2005-12-16

    The Court of Appeals' Third Division upholds the convictions.

  9. 2010-04

    Supreme Court approves DNA testing of semen specimen from Carmela Vizconde; NBI reports it no longer has the specimen.

  10. 2010-10-08

    Webb files an urgent motion for acquittal.

  11. 2010-11-30

    Gerardo Biong is released from jail after serving his sentence.

  12. 2010-12-14

    The Supreme Court acquits seven of the nine accused, including Hubert Webb, for failure to prove guilt beyond reasonable doubt.

  13. 2011-01-18

    The Supreme Court denies Lauro Vizconde's motion to reverse the acquittal on double jeopardy grounds.

  14. 2011-06-28

    Justice Secretary Leila de Lima says reinvestigation evidence contradicts Webb's alibi that he was in the United States during the killings.

  15. 2016-02-13

    Lauro Vizconde dies at age 77.

Best coverage

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People

  • Estrellita Vizconde

    VICTIM

    Killed on June 30, 1991; stabbed to death.

  • Peter Estrada

    ACQUITTED

    Convicted of rape with homicide by lower courts; acquitted by the Supreme Court in 2010.

  • Lauro Vizconde

    VICTIM

    Husband of Estrellita and father of Carmela and Jennifer; was in the United States at the time of the killings and campaigned for justice until his death in 2016.

  • Miguel Rodriguez

    ACQUITTED

    Convicted of rape with homicide by lower courts; acquitted by the Supreme Court in 2010.

  • Carmela Vizconde

    VICTIM

    Killed on June 30, 1991; stabbed to death and raped before death.

  • Hospicio Fernandez

    ACQUITTED

    Convicted of rape with homicide by lower courts; acquitted by the Supreme Court in 2010.

  • Anne Marie Jennifer Vizconde

    VICTIM

    Killed on June 30, 1991, at age 7; stabbed to death.

  • Antonio Lejano II

    ACQUITTED

    Convicted of rape with homicide by lower courts; acquitted by the Supreme Court in 2010.

  • Gerardo Biong

    CONVICTED

    Former Parañaque policeman convicted as an accessory for tampering with evidence; sentenced to eleven years; released November 30, 2010.

  • Michael Gatchalian

    ACQUITTED

    Convicted of rape with homicide by lower courts; acquitted by the Supreme Court in 2010.

  • Hubert Webb

    ACQUITTED

    Convicted of rape with homicide by the Parañaque RTC (2000) and Court of Appeals (2005); acquitted by the Supreme Court on December 14, 2010.

  • Artemio Ventura

    CONVICTED

    Convicted in absentia of rape with homicide; conviction not disturbed by the Supreme Court's 2010 acquittal ruling; remains a fugitive.

  • Joey Filart

    CONVICTED

    Convicted in absentia of rape with homicide; conviction not disturbed by the Supreme Court's 2010 acquittal ruling; remains a fugitive.

Roles reflect public records and court outcomes at the time of writing — supporting citations are on file under Sources.

Places

80 Vinzons Street, BF Homes, Parañaque, Metro Manila, Philippines

14.4793, 121.0198

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Common questions

What happened to the victim?
Estrellita Vizconde, her 19-year-old daughter Carmela, and her seven-year-old daughter were killed in their Paranaque home on June 30, 1991; Carmela was also sexually assaulted. Seven defendants originally convicted in the case were acquitted by the Supreme Court in 2010 because the prosecution failed to prove guilt beyond reasonable doubt; two convictions entered in absentia were unaffected, and the killings remain unresolved.
Where did the murders happen?
80 Vinzons Street, BF Homes, Parañaque, Metro Manila, Philippines.
Who was convicted?
Gerardo Biong (Former Parañaque policeman convicted as an accessory for tampering with evidence; sentenced to eleven years; released November 30, 2010.), Artemio Ventura (Convicted in absentia of rape with homicide; conviction not disturbed by the Supreme Court's 2010 acquittal ruling; remains a fugitive.), and Joey Filart (Convicted in absentia of rape with homicide; conviction not disturbed by the Supreme Court's 2010 acquittal ruling; remains a fugitive.).
What is the current status of the case?
Status: overturned.
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Sources

  1. PRESSSC acquits Hubert Webb, 6 others in Vizconde massacreGMA News Online · 2026-07-11
  2. PRESSG.R. No. 176389 / G.R. No. 176864The Lawphil Project · 2026-07-11
  3. ENCYCLOPEDICVizconde murdersWikipedia · 2026-07-10