Police deny allegations of rushing Jastiva probe

CEBU, Philippines – Police yesterday belied allegations that they rushed their investigation into the controversial case of Pastor Leonardo Jastiva, Sr. who was tagged as having masterminded the killing of his wife.

City Police Office Director Patrocinio Comendador, Jr. said that contrary to Jastiva’s allegations, they did not rush their investigation but were able to establish the requirements of “probable cause” to indict Jastiva into the case.

Jastiva is now facing parricide charges before the city prosecutor’s office.

But in his counter-affidavit, Jastiva said the police hastened the probe allegedly because of the attention media has given the controversial case.

“It appears from all angles that the police investigators were in a hurry to solve this high profile case because of the media attention given to it at the expense of truth and justice,” Jastiva’s affidavit reads.

He also claimed that the police relied so much on circumstantial evidence and did not have “single solid evidence stand to link me to the killing of my wife.”

But Comendador said the case should now be left with the city prosecutor’s office and that the city police office will respect the outcome of the preliminary investigation.

Comendador said that even if the case is now with the prosecutor’s office, they still continue to look into it “from time to time.”

Almost two months ago Jastiva, the national president of the International Missionary Society of Seventh-Day Adventist Church Reform Movement, reported that his wife Judith was abducted by armed men along P. Abella Street in barangay Labangon while they were heading towards Talisay City.

A week later, Judith was found dead in barangay Tabunan.

But in the course of the investigation, the police were able to trace the text messages of the supposed kidnappers to Jastiva’s other cell phone, which triggered the filing of charges against him.

But in his counter-affidavit, Jastiva explained he was the one who forwarded the messages to his other phone. He said the kidnappers reportedly sent him the messages through cell phone number 09058521112, which he received in his Motorola phone with number 09268187329.

From his Motorola phone, he then reportedly forwarded the messages to his Nokia cell phone with the number 09268531297 before eventually forwarding it to Ylanan.

Jastiva said the police immediately concluded that he was involved in the crime because he refused to cooperate publicly in the investigation.

He said he was only hesitant to cooperate because he feared for his life and that of his family, considering that his wife’s supported kidnappers had warned him not to have the case investigated by the police.

Jastiva, likewise, denied the statement of witnesses that no kidnapping actually happened because nothing unusual reportedly happened at supposed crime scene evening on February 9. He said there was really no commotion because the kidnappers pointed a gun at them to silence them.

Likewise, Jastiva denied the police claim that he refused to turn over the jacket of his wife. In fact, he reportedly told Chief Inspector George Ylanan that the jacket was just placed at the back of his multi-cab. He said he was just waiting for the police to get it but nobody reportedly did. – Niña G. Sumacot/JMO (THE FREEMAN)