Grudge over wandering goat leads to murder

A 52-year-old man was killed on the spot after being shot and stabbed by his neighbor due to a personal grudge in barangay Camp 5, Talisay City, last Saturday morning.

PO2 Joel Rosales, a homicide investigator of Talisay police station who immediately responded to the incident, identified the victim as Alfredo Vargas, a resident of the place.

The suspect who immediately fled right after the incident and is now being sought was identified by the responding policemen as Heroncio Hipolan, 34, a neighbor of the victim.

Initial investigation conducted by Rosales revealed that both men started hating each other after the victim's goat once got loose of its tether and wandered to the farm of the suspect where it ate his root crops.

Hipolan also accused Vargas of killing his four-year-old child by way of witchcraft or "barang".

Rosales said that while Vargas went to tend to his goats, Hipolan was already waiting for him and without any provocation shot him with a gun. Still unsatisfied, he finished off the victim by stabbing him with a long bolo locally known as pinuti.

Vargas was found with three gunshot wounds to the head and his entrails spilled.

Hipolan's brothers Marcelino and Elomedio were detained at the Talisay City Detention Cell for investigation after they were suspected of involvement in the incident, but Rosales said they will soon be released if found out they were not involved in the incident. - Norvie S. Misa