Deniece Cornejo’s Father Speaks on Charges Against the Model
Deniece Cornejo’s father, Dennis Cornejo, believes that his model daughter is a victim of “Trial by Publicity” on case versus Vhong Navarro.
The legal battle between Vhong Navarro and Deniece Cornejo went on for almost a decade. Businessman Cedric Lee and two (2) others were also involved in the legal fight that stemmed from a 2014 incident at the condominium unit of the model.
All throughout the end, Vhong stood in his ground that he did not do anything wrong against Deniece who has accusations against him. Charges were filed by each camp against the other.
The issues gained different reactions from the people including some celebrities. There were those who sided with Vhong and there were also those who supported Deniece. In September 2022, the Showtime host voluntarily surrendered to the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) after an arrest warrant against him was released.
Vhong was detained from Septemer until December 22 when the Court allowed him to post bail at Php 1 million for his temporary liberty. Presiding Judge Loralie Cruz Datahan wrote in the decision that the prosecution’s evidence were too weak to permit the continued detention of Vhong pending the trial of the case.
After around two (2) months since he posted bail, in February 2023, the Supreme Court 3rd Division found Vhong Navarro “not guilty” over the charges filed against him. The case was junked and the following was stated in the verdict:
“Indeed, no amount of skillful or artful deportment, manner of speaking, or portrayal in a subsequent court proceeding could supplant Cornejo’s manifestly inconsistent and highly deficient, doubtful, and unclear accounts of her supposed harrowing experience in the hands of Navarro.”
Recently, a little more than a year since the case against Vhong was dismissed, the Taguig Regional Trial Court (RTC) found Deniece Cornejo, Cedric Lee, Simeon Raz, and Ferdinand Guerrero guilty of illegal detention for ransom.
Cedric Lee has surrendered to the NBI while Deniece Cornejo was turned over to Pasig Police. They are sentenced by the Court to life imprisonment.
In an interview with Pep, Deniece Cornejo’s father, Dennis Cornejo, admitted his belief and his view of the case against his daughter. He believes that their camp is a victim of “trial by publicity”. He stressed that they are just simple individuals.
“Durog na durog kami talaga… It was very, very painful na ganoon ang magiging result. Masyadong masakit sa part namin,” Dennis Cornejo said.
Meanwhile, based on the report, Deniece Cornejo’s father assured that they respect whatever will be the decision of the Court. According to him, he told his daughter to accept whatever is the verdict of the May 2 promulgation.
Dennis Cornejo stressed what keeps his strength is his faith in God. He admitted that he is carrying a lot of sadness and anger since the incident in 2014.