Ocampo v. People

Summary

This Supreme Court case involves the robbery conviction of Nomer Ocampo for taking P34,345.00 worth of items from Rommel Misayah through violence and intimidation. The incident occurred on November 14, 1995, when Ocampo, together with co-accused Miranda and Cruz, approached Misayah on a street in Pampanga. The prosecution established that Cruz choked the victim while Miranda held him and took his bag, with Ocampo holding a knife and warning the victim not to resist. The RTC initially found conspiracy among the accused, but the Court of Appeals and Supreme Court ruled there was no conspiracy, finding instead abuse of superior strength as an aggravating circumstance. The Supreme Court affirmed the conviction under Article 294(5) of the Revised Penal Code for simple robbery with physical injuries, emphasizing that the victim's credible and straightforward testimony was sufficient for conviction even without corroboration. The Court rejected petitioner's challenges to the evidence and imposed the proper indeterminate sentence while reinstating the civil indemnity.