| Advertisement |
Nov. 29 (UPI) -- Three Philippine police officers were found guilty of killing a local teen on Thursday -- the first conviction involving police in armed campaigns in President Rodrigo Duterte's "war on drugs." The Philippines' Caloocan Regional Trial Court, Branch 125, convicted Arnel Oares, Jeremias Pereda and Jerwin Cruz with no parole, the Philippine Star reported.
Advertisement
The court sentenced each defendant to a maximum of 40 years in prison for the murder of Kian Delos Santos, 17, in Manila, the BBC reported.
The Philippine teen's death in 2017 sparked outrage after surveillance camera footage showed the police dragging Delos Santos to a dark alley -- the same location where his body was later discovered.
The police had claimed the victim was a drug runner, a statement disputed by Delos Santos' family.
They also said the teen resisted arrest and that they found a pistol on him as well as sachets of methamphetamines, according to the Star.
The footage of Delos Santos' death tells a different story, however.
The teen is shown begging on his knees, pleading to police to spare his life, before he is gunned down in the alley, according to South Korean news agency Yonhap.
The convictions come after Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte met with the victim's family at the President's Palace in Manila.
Delos Santos' mother Lorenza lives in Saudi Arabia and works as a domestic helper to earn money for her family back home.
The story of his death has affected many Filipinos with overseas relatives.
More than 10 million Filipinos work abroad, according to the Commission on Filipinos Overseas.
About 5,000 people have been killed in the course of the anti-drug campaign, according to Philippine police.
