MURDER charges were filed before the Bacolod City Prosecutor’s Office on Thursday, July 27, against two police officers and a dismissed policeman for the death of the principal witness in the rob-slay of a Chinese businessman and security guard of JDS Mindoro Enterprises Corp. in December last year.
Bacolod City Police Office Acting Director Jack Wanky said Police Station 5 Chief Sherlock Gabana filed the case against Police Officer 2 Marlon Famucol, Police Officer 3 Dareen Ann Aguas, both presently assigned at the Philippine National Police headquarters in Camp Crame, and former Police Officer 1 Jason Sumalangcay.
The case pushed through after a 43-year-old witness surfaced and testified on the death of Byron Bacarro, 32, a resident of Barangay 35, Bacolod City.
On January 24, Bacarro was found dead beside the road in Barangay Granada, two days after he reportedly retracted his sworn statement, which implicated Sumalangcay and Famucol in the robbery-killing of Chinese national Changle Wu, 26, son of the owner of JDS Mindoro Enterprises Corp., and security guard Jilbert Mayang, 40.
Both were gunned down by the same assailants who robbed the downtown store of P1 million cash on the night of December 25.
However, Wanky said the charges for robbery with homicide and three counts of frustrated homicide against Famucol and Sumalangcay were dismissed by the City Prosecutor’s Office, a month after Bacarro’s death.
Wanky said Aguas was implicated after she was seen with Bacarro along with Famucol and Sumalangcay at the Hall of Justice in Bacolod last January.
He added that the filing of the murder case against the suspects might give them a chance to open again the robbery-killing cases also perpetrated by the same suspects.
“We are not pre-judging them because the court has the final decision on their case,” Wanky said.
Meanwhile, Wanky said the witness was placed under police custody for his safety while his family is also being guarded by personnel of Police Station 5.
For his part, the witness told the media that he hid for several months for fear that he might also be killed.
He said that his family received threats after Bacarro’s death. However, he felt guilty and decided to coordinate with the police to give justice to Bacarro.
