Robbery is now being eyed as the motive behind the brutal killing of two teenaged household helpers at Banyan-Pinyan streets of the Villa Angela Subdivision in Brgy. Villamonte, Bacolod Sunday, City Police Officer-in-charge Senior Supt. Ricardo de la Paz said yesterday.

De la Paz said at a case conference at the Bacolod City Police Office headquarters yesterday, he was informed by Station 4 chief, Senior Insp. Leilani Garcia that Aleph Esparagoza, the victims' employer, had reported that they discovered some of their properties missing.

Garcia said that among the items said to be stolen from the house of Esparagoza were three cellular phones, a digital camera, a DVD handy camera, a game boy, an I-pod and a .45 caliber pistol and its two magazines loaded with ammunition.

Aside from that, Garcia said, a gold-plated watch, a white-gold plated bracelet, a set of golden earrings with princess diamond cut and several cash were also reportedly stolen.

About P200,000 worth of thems were stolen, the report said.

Initially the police had said there losses were reported from the house after the victims, Joyce Boncaya, 17, and Keen Malunes, 16, both of Brgy. Manghanoy, La Castellana, Negros Occidental, were found bloodied in their room.

However, the owner of the house learned later at about 12:30 that there were missing items and reported this to Police Station 4 at about 1 a.m., Garcia told the DAILY STAR.

De la Paz said they are wondering why the owner of the house only discovered the robbery late as they had already been allowed to enter the crime scene at about 5:30 p.m. Sunday, when the Scene of the Crime Operatives had already finished their investigation.

Nonetheless, he said, the incident is now clear to them with this new development.

De la Paz also said that the reports that one of the suspects and one of the victims were textmates, are not confirmed although he is not discounting the possibility that they knew each other as there were no signs of forced entrance at the crime scene.

Bongacaya was dead when found, while Malunes was rushed to Bacolod Doctor’s Hospital but died while being treated. Autopsy conducted by City Medico Legal Officer Ely Cong showed that the two had traumatic head injuries and that there is possibility that Bongcaya had been raped.

The incident was discovered by their employer's brother-in-law when he came home after attending a Sunday service.

POSSIBLE BOUNTY

De la Paz said that they may raise funds to put up a bounty for the speedy arrest of another suspect who is still at large.

The Task Force Villa Angela, led by Chief Insp. Leonardo Borromeo, created after the crime Sunday, has arrested one of two alleged suspects in a follow-up operation in Purok Relocation Site in Brgy. Vista Alegre.

Annaliza Malunes, mother of Keen, appealed to the police to hasten the investigation of the case and make those who are responsible for the killing of her daughter pay for what they did.

De la Paz assured that they are exerting all efforts to arrest the remaining suspect, whose name he withheld, so justice will be served to the victims.

SUSPECT’S DENIAL

The 24-year-old trisikad driver, tagged by the lone deaf-mute witness as one of the suspects in the killing, has denied the accusations.

He told the DAILY STAR that he does not know the victims personally although he had seen them before when he brings passengers to Villa Angela subdivision.

The suspect also claimed that he was not at the crime scene when the incident happened and has not gone to Villa Angela for some time now because his trisikad was stolen.

LESSON

De la Paz said what happened to Bongcaya and Malunes should serve as a lesson for others not to trust too much, especially people you have just met.

He said employers should also warn their household helpers not to allow strangers from entering their houses without their permission to avoid similar incidents.

Gabriela Negros chairperson Nenita Cherniguin said they condemn the killers and are hoping that the victims will be given justice.*APN

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