CEBU, Philippines - Charges of kidnapping with homicide were filed against a Norwegian engineer and his Filipina girlfriend yesterday over the death of a six-year-old girl from the town of Minglanilla, whose body was dumped in Barili.
Charges were filed against Sven Erik Berger, 49, a resident of Oslo Norway and Karen Castro Esdrelon, 24, from barangay 6, Tuburan, Cebu at the Provincial Prosecutor’s Office.
Assistant Prosecutor Marvin de la Peña has ordered the two suspects to file their counter-affidavit within seven days.
Berger and Esdrelon have filed a waiver for detention.
Lawyer Salvador Solima, counsel of the two accused, said they plan to file charges against the police, but before doing so, he would be filing their counter-affidavit. He once again said that his clients are innocent.
“How can they be the suspects when they have all the evidence to prove their innocence. First the itinerary alone, it can prove that they did not commit the crime because they did not go to Moalboal and Barili towns and they even do not know the place,” Solima explained.
Solima said that the witnesses, who tagged his clients, are lying.
“We have all the evidence to disprove their claim. We know the witnesses are lying. We are optimistic that the case will be dismissed,” Solima said.
Solima said he is asking government agencies to conduct a simultaneous lie detector test, DNA test to his clients and even deepen the investigation on where his clients were on the day the crime was committed.
The two suspects, who are engaged to be married, said that they will fight to prove their innocence.
In a joint-affidavit, Sr. Supt. Erson Digal, Insp. Lamberto Hibaya, SPO1 Elmo Rosales and PO1 Anthony Adizas of the Cebu Provincial Police Office stated that on February 8 they received a report on the kidnapping of Ellah Joy Pique, a Grade 1 pupil of Calajoan Elementary School of barangay Calajoan Minglanilla at around 4:00 p.m.
Police said they immediately conducted an investigation and learned that Pique was taken by a woman and a Caucasian man, who were riding a black Sports Utility Vehicle.
The woman allegedly offered to take Pique home as she knew the girl’s mother. The child went missing afterwards.
At around 7:55 p.m. on February 9, the body of Pique was recovered at a cliff beside the National Highway in sitio Palalong, barangay Guibuangan, Barili, Cebu. The body was wrapped using a white bed sheet.
The girl’s school bag was recovered nearby. Police found two P50 bills in the bag, which the victim’s father said must have come from the suspects as he does not give his daughter money.
A cartographic sketch was made based on the description by the witnesses and these were distributed to the different police stations as well as the police stationed at the sea and air ports.
The suspects were arrested last Saturday night at the Mactan Cebu International Airport.
Berger and Esdrelon were supposed to fly to Hong Kong to celebrate Valentine’s Day there.
They were held by the Police Center for Aviation Security (PCAS) after they matched the sketches of the suspects.
The two were initially held due to problems in the travel documents of Esdrelon, but later Digal arrested them after one witness positively identified the couple as the same people, who took Pique from outside their school.
Berger and Esdrelon are now detained at the Cebu Provincial Police Office stockade.
EVIDENCE IN LAPTOP?
A laptop owned by Esdrelon is believed to contain more evidence against the suspects, but Berger said it contains evidence that would clear them instead.
The police wanted to open the laptop to check the files contained in its hard disk, but the suspects would not allow them to just do so without the presence of their lawyer.
Digal said that they have asked for the password, but the couple would not give it to them.
Berger told The Freeman that he feels frustrated over allegations of the policemen that they are lying and uncooperative.
He said they are willing to cooperate but they were not asked for the password.
“I want them to scan our computer because they have it. There they will see all our pictures of where we have been,” Berger said.
He added that they will not let the authorities open their computer as long as their lawyer is not around.
Esdrelon also appealed to the public not to condemn them since it is not yet proven that they are the perpetrators of the crime.
“I really hope as soon as possible madakpan na ang nagpatay sa victim and I’m sure we are not the suspects,” Esdrelon said.
COMMENDATION
Meanwhile, Provincial Board Member Sun Shimura plans to sponsor a resolution commending the Bureau of Immigration for its role in the arrest of the suspects.
Shimura is the chairman of the Committee of Peace and Order.
The hotel where the couple claimed to have checked in, has issued a statement that Berger, with an unidentified female companion, were indeed registered as their guests on the day that Pique was abducted.
Renante Pique, father of Ellah, said he is happy that the case has already filed. – with Ria Mae Booc/NLQ (FREEMAN)