The Department of Justice (DOJ) has identified retired Court of Appeals Justice Isaias Perez Dicdican as the mastermind behind the murder of Cebu-based lawyer Joey Luis Wee, who was shot dead on November 23, 2020. In a recent submission to the Regional Trial Court Branch 14 in Cebu City, the DOJ filed an amended murder charge, including Dicdican as a co-accused in the ongoing case against several suspects.

The amended charge is based on a DOJ resolution dated April 29, 2025, which concluded there was sufficient evidence linking Dicdican to a conspiracy to execute the killing.

The attack on Wee occurred in broad daylight outside the ALCHI Building on J. Panis St. in Barangay Kasambagan, Cebu City.

Dicdican is reported to be at large and has allegedly coordinated the crime with retired Colonel Edwin Forrosuelo Layese, who has previously been indicted and is currently detained at the Cebu City Jail.

Both Dicdican and Layese are being labeled by prosecutors as masterminds or contractors involved in the killing.

The amended complaint also named alleged gunmen John Raymond Suarez, Randy Benito Palparan, Fausto Edgar Peralta, along with several unidentified individuals.

Authorities assert that the killing was executed through a coordinated operation utilizing multiple getaway vehicles.

On May 8, 2025, the DOJ sought court approval to include the amended charge against Dicdican, arguing that the addition serves as a formal amendment permissible even post-arraignment of the other suspects.

This filing comes more than four years after the initial charges were filed against Layese and the suspected gunmen in 2021. Dicdican's involvement surfaced following Layese’s confession and a subsequent reinvestigation by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI).

The DOJ conducted a preliminary investigation regarding Dicdican, and also addressed allegations against Reza Yballe based on NBI findings.

The resolution from the DOJ has led to Dicdican being indicted for murder, while a recommendation was made to dismiss the complaint against Yballe, pending further evidence from the NBI.

Layese’s legal team submitted a comment on May 15, expressing support for the inclusion of Dicdican in the charges, which they contend reinforces the credibility of Layese's earlier confession attributing the planning of the murder to Dicdican.

Nonetheless, Layese’s attorney, Courtney Psalm Villagonzalo, has contested the diplomatic phrasing in the amended information, specifically regarding the assertion that Layese had “connived, confederated and mutually helped” the gunmen.

Villagonzalo argued that Layese merely acted as a “canvasser” between Dicdican and the alleged shooters, requesting the court to characterize Layese’s role as that of an accomplice or accessory rather than a co-principal.

Meanwhile, a separate murder case remains pending against Suarez, Palparan, Peralta, and others involved.