Jilted man eyed in wife's murder

CEBU, Philippines - A man who allegedly threatened his wife, unable to accept that she was now living with another man, is now a suspect in her murder last Friday evening after she was shot dead coming home from work.

Melonie Sagaad, 35, and her live-in partner Armando Yrog-yrog, were on board a Yamaha Vega motorcycle driving past Sitio Bohol-Bohol, Barangay Looc, Mandaue City, when two men riding in tandem on a Honda XRM motorcycle suddenly crashed into them spilling them into the pavement.

The man riding pillion got off the motorcycle and shot the two. Yrog-yrog was shot in the head while Melonie sustained gunshot wounds in different parts of her body and was killed on the spot.

Yrog-yrog was rushed to the Mandaue City Hospital and later transferred to the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center in Cebu City where he was still in critical condition as of last night.

Homicide chief Insp. Ramil Morpos said they received information from Melonie’s 16-year-old son that his mother received death threats from their father Diego Sagaad two weeks ago.

Morpos said the boy told them that two weeks ago he phoned a friend who was working with his father at a motel in Talisay City. While they were talking his father allegedly grabbed phone of his friend and said he will kill the boy’s mother and her live-in partner.

The boy said his father and mother separated in 2004 after she could no longer stand being maltreated by his father who had no job and many vices at the time.

Melonie eventually moved in with Yrog-yrog in the Ting Guan compound in Barangay Banilad, Cebu City, along with two of her children with Diego.

The boy told police he pleaded with his father to leave his mother alone as she was now happy with Yrog-yrog. He said he also told his mother and Yrog-yrog about the threat but the couple took it for granted.

Morpos said that he and his men, accompanied by the minor, rushed to the motel in Talisay city where Diego worked as a cook.

After the motel guard said he was new to the assignment and was not familiar with Diego the police looked around and questioned someone who resembled Diego.

The man said Diego had gone home and the police had been about to leave until the boy alerted them the man was actually his father.

Diego was then invited him for questioning and brought to the Mandaue City Police Office headquarters at around 11:30 p.m. last Friday.

Morpos described the suspect as uneasy and said he believes Diego was high on illegal drugs when they brought him in.

Police eventually placed him under arrest after witnesses to the shooting recognized him as the one who drove the motorcycle ridden by the shooter.

Diego denied the accusation saying he was at the Cortes General Hospital at that time due to amoebiasis but when the police went to check the hospital, none of the hospital staff could say he went there for a check-up.

Diego is now detained at the Opao Police Station pending the filing of charges against him while the police are still looking for his alleged accomplice. They also said they now have the name of the shooter. —/BRP (FREEMAN)