Cops now have witnesses against woman who chopped up husband

Two witnesses yesterday afternoon finally appeared at the Bantayan Police Station to make their sworn statements against the 69-year-old woman who allegedly killed her sick and blind 75-year-old husband then chopped off his limbs Tuesday morning.

SPO2 Roque Batayola, who is handling the case, told The Freeman yesterday that the police already have two witnesses that would now set the indictment of the suspect, Julita Flores Sayson, for killing her husband Clemente.

Police said the two witnesses are Julita's daughter, Lea Albarina, who claimed she saw the incident, and their neighbor Alfredo Ehes, who was the first to respond to Lea's call for help.

Batayola said the two failed to come to the police station the other day, as expected, because they said they attended first the burial of Clemente.

With the statements of the witnesses already with the police, Batayola said a case might be filed today against Julita.

Julita, now detained, allegedly killed Clemente first before dismembering his body, in what some believed was a morbid way of ending his misery from an undetermined ailment that had him bedridden for the past four years.

Bantayan Police said that it was the grandchild of Julita who first saw the gruesome incident and reported it to her mother. A commotion ensued and the neighbors quickly notified the police.

Batayola said Julita's daughter Lea cried upon seeing the bloody incident and told her mother to stop. "Nag sige og hilak unya nag sige og hangyo sa iyang inahan ug husta na ma," he said.

Julita cut the lower legs of Clemente's body, wrapped them in a sack and was caught when she was about to bury them at the backyard of the house. When the police confronted her about the incident she only muttered, "nahinaykan na man sir (what is done is already done)."

Police said the torso and the head of the victim were still intact lying on the bed but the upper limbs and the genitals have been severed and found strewn around the room.

Police, quoting municipal health officer Dr. Lisa Rivera, said the victim's gaping injury on his skull showed that he was apparently struck first on the head with a piece of wood. And when Clemente fell unconscious, Julita allegedly started cutting off his limbs.

The police theory so far was that Julita, owing to her poverty and seeming hopelessness over Clemente's condition, grew despondent and decided to take his fate into her hands.

Batayola added that Julita has not taken her meals the past two days since her arrest last Tuesday. - Norvie S. Misa