A domestic helper in Hong Kong has been found guilty of murder after his partial defence of intoxication failed to convince a jury regarding the fatal assault on his girlfriend more than three years ago.
The seven-member High Court jury on Wednesday returned a 6-1 majority guilty verdict after nearly four hours of deliberation, convicting Bernie Macatangay Valencia of murdering his partner Ivy Villaluz Quiabang by punching her repeatedly in the head at a subdivided flat in Wan Chai’s Stone Nullah Lane on December 22, 2021.
Valencia had offered to plead guilty to a lesser charge of manslaughter by way of an unlawful and dangerous act, which was rejected by the prosecution.
The trial heard Valencia, 45, developed a romantic relationship with Quiabang, 40, six months after they first met at a barbecue party in 2017 or 2018.
A close friend of Quiabang said the Filipino couple had forged a “bond” through drinking, but stressed the deceased had never acted aggressively under the influence of alcohol.
Defence counsel Michael Arthur suggested Quiabang had a jealous streak which became evident upon drinking.
Quiabang was upset after seeing Valencia lend an e-cigarette to a young woman during a Christmas party in Central on December 22, 2021, according to the event’s organiser.
