POLICE arrested two suspects in the killing of a 37-year-old Korean national whose body was found in an abandoned vehicle in General Tinio in Nueva Ecija.
In a press conference in Camp Crame, Central Luzon Police Regional Office Director Brigadier General Jess Mendez said the gunman and the female suspect were arrested on June 19 following an intensive gathering, CCTV backtracking, forensic examination, and coordinated operations among various police units.
Mendez said the female victim allegedly owed the victim, who is a beauty product distributor, P200,000.
He said the female victim planned the execution of the victim along with the gunman, whom she formerly had romantic relationship with.
“Actually, magkaibigan sila (gunman and victim). According to the information is more than a year na silang magkaibigan… Actually naningingil na, days before naniningil talaga. They even went to the condominium. Talagang kinakalabog na nila ‘yung pinto, so talagang itong dalawa continuous na ‘yung paniningil. Ayaw na lumabas nitong (female) suspect kasi walang pambayad,” said Mendez.
(Actually, the gunman and the victim were friends. According to the information, they had been friends for more than a year. In fact, they had already been trying to collect the debt days before the incident. They even went to the condominium and were banging on the door. These two individuals had been persistently demanding payment. The female suspect refused to come out because she had no money to pay.)
“So sinet up talaga nila. Hinatak nila at sinabi wala siya doon sa condominium niya sa Clark. Sabi nandun sa bahay sa Magalang. They went there, si Jao who was the gunman and the victim. Pagpunta doon may dinaanan silang tao. Bumiyahe nga sila at pagdating doon sa isang apartment sa Magalang, doon niya binaril sa driving side ng car. ‘Yung victim kasi is the one driving, suspect nasa passenger side,” he added.
(So it was really a setup. They lured him by saying that she was not at her condominium in Clark and that she was at a house in Magalang. Jao, the gunman, and the victim went there together. On the way, they picked someone up. They traveled to an apartment in Magalang, and when they arrived, Jao shot the victim from the driver’s side of the car. The victim was the one driving, while the suspect was seated in the passenger seat.)
Mendez said the gunman dropped off the female suspect before driving to Nueva Ecija and abandoning the vehicle with the victim’s body inside.
He said the firearm used in the killing was recovered from the gunman.
The two suspects were charged with murder. (TPM/VoxPop Philippines)