MANILA – The Court of Appeals (CA) has dismissed the appeal of the man accused in the 2022 Ateneo de Manila University shooting, upholding the filing of a separate carnapping case against him.

In a 15-page decision published online, the CA Thirteenth Division rejected the petition of Doctor Chao-Tiao Yumol, who questioned the separate charge for violation of Republic Act No. 10883, or the New Anti-Carnapping Act of 2016.

Yumol argued that the alleged carnapping should be consolidated with the separate cases for murder, attempted murder, illegal possession of firearms, and malicious mischief, claiming that he only took the vehicle to facilitate his escape after the shooting.

The appellate court disagreed.

“In the present case, once it is granted that the taking of the motor vehicle occurred only after the shooting to facilitate his escape—as petitioner here hypothetically admits—then the said vehicle could not have been the means the murders were committed,” the CA said.

It added that the Regional Trial Court (RTC) did not commit grave abuse of discretion in rejecting Yumol’s claim that the carnapping charge should be absorbed into the murder case or treated merely as a qualifying circumstance.

Yumol allegedly went to the Ateneo campus on July 24, 2022, where graduation ceremonies for the university’s College of Law were scheduled.

Police said Yumol, who used the name Ramil Nicodemez, entered the campus aboard a transport network vehicle service (TNVS) while carrying two concealed pistols.

He allegedly shot and killed former Lamitan, Basilan Mayor Rosita Furigay, her executive assistant Victor Capistrano, and security guard Jeneven Bandana.

Furigay’s daughter, Hannay, and another parent, Julia Manabat, were also wounded in the attack.

After the shooting, Yumol allegedly fled the campus and took a Honda Civic sedan at gunpoint from its driver.

He was pursued by Raffy Degones, who was riding a motorcycle and was later hit by the vehicle.

Yumol eventually abandoned the car at a gas station along Aurora Boulevard in Quezon City and attempted to flee aboard a modern jeepney. He was subsequently arrested after the vehicle was flagged down.

Yumol’s clinic in Basilan had been ordered closed by Furigay in 2018.

Several days after the Ateneo shooting, Yumol’s father, Rolando, was also shot dead by two unidentified motorcycle-riding assailants in front of his residence in Basilan.