Police and National Bureau of Investigation officials are looking into a possible link between the suspects in the gun-slay of businessman Demetrio Larena III and a series of robbery/hold-up incidents in Negros Oriental recently.

Sr. Insp. Ronilo Macasilhig, police chief of San Jose town, said a thorough investigation and witnesses’ testimonies revealed that one of the two hit men in the murder of Larena on October 20 bears a close resemblance to one of three suspects in two highway robbery incidents in San Jose.

Earlier, investigators identified the two gunmen who shot dead Larena as a certain Jimmy Inocerta and one “Misael”, based on the revelations of two other suspects, spouses Jerry Inocerta, brother of Jimmy, and his wife, Espedita.

The Inocerta couple, who were arrested shortly after Larena was killed, had disclosed that they and the other suspects, including a fifth one, paramilitary man Ramil Dong-coy, had participated in the plot to kill the businessman for “personal reasons”.

Dong-coy, while under protective custody, had also claimed that “Misael” was the same person in a photograph of Michael Garsula shown to him during the investigation process, Dominador Cimafranca, Jr., head of the local NBI, said.

Garsula, and two other suspects, Jovie Estaño and Romie Orfanel, are still at-large, although  police handle cases of robbery with intimidation of persons against them for  two hold-up incidents on board public utility vehicles in August and October this year.

The victims have identified Garsula through hs photograph as one of the three gun-toting suspects who held them up, Macasilhig said.

Garsula, also known as Michael Tindoc, and Jimmy Inocerta, have a standing warrant of arrest for allegedly killing a barangay chief tanod in Valencia, Negros Oriental, in 2008.*JFP

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