'Witness' owns up to slay of retired judge

DAGUPAN CITY– Police uncovered a new twist in the August 6 killing of a retired judge here when the supposed witness who earlier had tagged six suspects confessed that he and his uncle were the real murderers.

Supt. Romeo Caramat Jr., city police chief, said this developed during a re-enactment Tuesday afternoon of how 80-year-old Corazon Abalos-Merrera was stabbed dead in her residence in Arellano-Bani this city.

Merrera was the mother of Vice Mayor Pete Merrera of nearby Binmaley town.

Genny Romano, 22, a helper of the retired judge, became inconsistent in his statements during the re-enactment and finally owned up to the crime, together with his uncle, Felipe Quillope, 47, also a helper in the victim’s household.

This prompted the police to bring Romano to the Public Attorney’s Office for his extrajudicial confession.

“So from six suspects, the murder case we filed would now boil down to two suspects only,” Caramat said.

He said they went to the court to amend the first murder case filed against the six helpers of Merrera, which excluded Romano as he was supposed to be the vital witness.

Romano said he committed the crime after Merrera failed to give his two months’ salary.

He said he was to celebrate his birthday and tried to get a cash advance of P800 but she gave him P500 only with unsavory remarks.

Romano could not explain when police discovered that the bloodstained clothes found in the helpers’ quarters belonged to him. Two kitchen knives were used in the killing.

Earlier arrested and charged with murder were Christian Benedict Lagatao, 20, of Barangay Parayao and John-John Basa, 22, of Barangay Basing both from Binmaley town and JerielCadelenia and Felipe Quilloge, 47, both from Duma¬guete City.

Murder charges were also filed against Michael de Guzman and Jacob Mendiola, who remains at large.

Caramat said the murder was earlier considered an inside job with robbery as the main
motive.

However, he said there was no sign of forcible entry in any of the doors.

He said the victim lived alone at the second floor of her residence while her helpers slept at the first floor.

She was into several businesses, one of them in construction, the police chief said.

“There was no other way for the suspects to escape except to go down the first floor and it would be impossible that any commotion would be unheard or unnoticed by the helpers if the perpetrator was an outsider,” Caramat said.