By Bryan Manabat
bryan@mvariety.com
Variety News Staff
SUPERIOR Court Judge Joseph N. Camacho on Wednesday found probable cause to charge Jeremy Guillermin, 29, with voluntary manslaughter, aggravated assault and battery, and obstructing justice in connection with the death of Alvin Remamba.
Judge Camacho dismissed without prejudice a separate charge of escape, ruling that the statute applies only to “prisoners” legally held in prison or awaiting trial. Guillermin, he said, had only been detained at the scene for investigation. The judge directed prosecutors to file an amended information.
Two government witnesses, police officer Koji Taisacan and detective Myron Laniyo, testified at the preliminary hearing.
Taisacan said Remamba flagged him down on Nov. 16 outside Relox Bar in Garapan, reporting that Guillermin was trying to fight him. Taisacan testified that he saw Guillermin punch Remamba in the face, causing him to fall backward and strike his head on the pavement. Remamba was later hospitalized and died Nov. 20 from brain bleed and swelling.
Laniyo told the court Guillermin claimed Remamba had pushed him four times and was the one asking for a fight. He said investigators reviewed CCTV footage from Relox Bar and the adjacent Safe House bar showing interactions between Guillermin, his companion, and the victim.
Judge Camacho ordered Guillermin held at the Department of Corrections and set arraignment for Dec. 15 at 9 a.m. He also denied a request to release Guillermin to a third-party custodian, citing the defendant’s lack of local ties and his escape the night of his arrest.
According to testimony, Guillermin fled from the back seat of a patrol car after another ARFF trainee opened the door. He was later found at his apartment in San Antonio, still in handcuffs, barefoot, and with sand on his clothes.
At the time of the incident, Guillermin was undergoing Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting training on Saipan. Attorney Brien Sers San Nicolas represented Guillermin, while Chief Prosecutor Chester Hinds appeared for the government.
Bryan Manabat was a liberal arts student of Northern Marianas College where he also studied criminal justice. He is the recipient of the NMI Humanities Award as an Outstanding Teacher (Non-Classroom) in 2013, and has worked for the CNMI Motheread/Fatheread Literacy Program as lead facilitator.
