Who gets P100,000 bounty?: Charges filed vs jailed Baguio massacre suspect

BAGUIO CITY –Charges were filed Thursday against the suspect in the massacre of five persons, including three children here along Kayang Road market area April 6.

Suspect Philip Tolentino Avino, 31, is now at the city jail after he was brought back from Manila where he surrendered Tuesday evening to vice mayor Isko Moreno.

This, as the medico-legal officer who checked Avino said Thursday he bore seven wounds in the hands.

Dr. Rodrigo Leal, medico-legal officer of the Cordillera Regional Crime Laboratory service, told the media: “He (Avino) had wounds on the hand, four on the right hand and three on the left. These injuries are significant because there are also blood spots seen on the scene of the crime.”

He said blood spots found at the massacre scene will undergo DNA testing to establish if those would match the blood stains on the suspect.

Avino, despite his surrender, denied the crime, saying he was on his way to Metro Manila when the massacre happened.

Baguio police director Senior Supt. Rolando Miranda earlier said Avino was identified by two witnesses who saw him knocking on the door of the apartment where the massacre of five people happened on April 6.

The short pants obtained at the crime scene was likewise identified by the former girlfriend of Avino who claimed she gave it to him as a gift.

Five victims, Jacqueline Nociete,19, his brother Joey,9; Jonalyn lozano,32,housemaid; Dave de Guzman,7 and Raymund del Mundo,9, were brutally killed in the apartment here at at Hilltop market,  Kayang.

 The victims sustained multiple stab wounds on different parts of their bodies that led to their death.

Baguio mayor Mauricio Domogan earlier offered P100,000 bounty for informants who could lead lawmen to arrest of Avino, a.k.a. “Michael Geronimo,”  market porter,  from Sta. Mesa, Manila.

Avino reportedly earlier approached his brother and an aunt to arrange his surrender to Moreno.

In Manila, Avino,  denied allegation he was behind the killing insisting he was aboard a bus that day going to Pasay City, claiming he was framed up for the crime.

Baguio police said they hoped Avino would cooperate in the investigation for the early resolution of the case.

Miranda said Avino, was identified by a key witness, an employee in the eatery owned by the apartment owner, who was also a former live-in partner of the alleged suspect.

Victims were found dead, with blood splattered on the floor of their apartment fourth floor of Chan Building, 3rd Kayang Street in Barangay Kayang, Hilltop by Vilma Nociete, mother of  two victims.

Victim Jackelyn Kale Marquez Nociete, 19, Saint Louis University student, was stabbed 18 times..

Jackelyn Kale, with her nine-year-old brother Joey Marquez Nociete Jr., had 14 stab wounds.

Their house help, Jonalyn Lozano, had 12 stab wounds.

Pronounced dead on arrival at the Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center were playmates of nine-year-old boy Joey who were identified as Dave John de Guzman and Raymond Del Mundo, both 8.

Dave John had eight stab wounds, while Raymond had five.

Investigation revealed apartment lessee, Vilma, mother of two victims, received a text message from Jackelyn Kale around 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., informing her they had a visitor looking for their father, Joey Nociete Sr.

When Vilma tried calling back her daughter to ask about the person looking for her husband, nobody was answering the phone, prompting her to go back to their rented unit.

At their rented unit, Vilma knocked several times at the door and tried calling the cellphone of her daughter to no avail.

Worried, she decided to ask the building owner for the duplicate key of the unit.

Upon entering the apartment together with another companion, she saw her house helper Lozano bloodied and lifeless on the floor together with two playmates of her son who were also unconsciously lying in their pool of blood.

Vilma said she shouted for help until neighbors came to rush the victims to the BGHMC.

All victims were pronounced dead on arrival due to multiple stab wounds and loss of blood.

Miranda said they identified the suspect after material and testimonial evidences, including statements from a key witness who was a cook at the eatery of the victim’s family.

He said a shirt recovered in the apartment and other pieces of evidence also pointed to Avino as the person responsible for the crime, adding the suspect changed his bloodied shirt and short pants he allegedly left at the crime scene.

Neighbors of the victims claimed the shirt left at the crime scene was that of the then still unidentified man who was knocking at the Nociete’s door afternoon of April 6.

Police said Avino could have entered the apartment around 3:30 to 6:30 pm.

Miranda said the suspect could have been known to the family, as no sign of forcible entry was in crime scene.

According to Miranda, the key witness said she was able to identify the bloodied shorts and belt recovered from the crime scene as that of her former live-in partner's.

The police chief said the key witness was taken in as a cook at the family’s eatery and was adopted as part the Nociete family after she separated from the suspect.

“The witness was the main target of the suspect as he was not amenable to their break-up,” he added.

Based on intelligence reports, the suspect was seen in Cubao, Quezon City and in Malolos, Bulacan.

He added suspect could have been under influence of prohibited drugs when he committed the crime.

Miranda earlier said anybody who has information about the suspect's whereabouts can contact his number at 09178281990, adding that a police manhunt is ongoing.

The victims were rushed to the Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center where they were declared dead on arrival by Dr. Laoagan Rajiv.

The waitress, who requested that she not be named, identified the suspect through the bloodied short pants and belt he left at the crime scene.

She said that the belt was a gift from her. She added they broke up April 4.

There was no sign of forced entry, according to Senior Insp. Angeline Amangan.

Amangan said the bodies were already rushed to the hospital when they arrived at the crime scene. She said there were signs of struggle. The murder weapon was not recovered.

Although police have not ruled out other motives in the crime like robbery, Amangan said some valuables were left behind, including a computer tablet.

A witness, Mae Dumpit Fernandez, who lives on the fifth floor, said she saw a man knocking at the unit of the victims around 3:30 p.m.

Fernandez described the man as five-foot-three, slim, of dark complexion, and wearing a green sweat shirt and black short pants.

She thought the man was just visiting.

The bodies were taken to Funeraria Paz Monday, while relatives of the two late siblings were taken to Naguillian, La Union.

Meanwhile, Domogan said he was alarmed on increasing heinous crimes in the city the past weeks.

He added crimes against properties and persons escalated the past month.

Domogan said heinous crimes, such as recent shooting incident involving a taxi driver and massacre involving the Noceiete family, do not usually happen in the city.

Miranda, however, downplayed this, saying there was decrease in the city’s crime rate the past month compared to the previous months before he assumed office.