Police: Ex-jail official was killed by own son

CEBU, Philippines - The son of the retired jail officer who was shot dead Tuesday afternoon was arrested by the police after at least four witnesses tagged him as the killer of his own father.

 Glenn Niñeza, 37, was placed under arrest while undergoing custodial investigation at the police headquarters because of suspicion that he killed his father, Simplicio Niñaza, Sr., a retired officer of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology.

Senior Inspector Jul Mohammad Jamiri, chief of the homicide section of the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO), said they arrested Glenn after four of his neighbors claimed to have seen him entered his father’s house in Barangay Kamputhaw before the shooting happened. He was also the last person seen leaving the house before his father was found dead.

Jamiri said that of the four witnesses, one of them testified that Glenn was seen bringing a firearm, a caliber .45 pistol, last Monday evening and in the morning of Tuesday. He said the suspect was trying to sell the gun.

Another witness said that the night before the incident, the father and son were heard having heated argument.

Jamiri however admitted that they only have circumstantial evidence against Glenn. According to the police, the neighbors noticed the suspect and the victim to have been in constant quarrel before the shooting incident.

The victim had been reprimanding the suspect over the latter’s alleged involvement in illegal drugs. Jamiri said that the suspect admitted during tactical interrogation that he is using drugs.

Glenn however denied killing his father insisting that he was at the house of his live-in partner in Cabantan when his father was killed.

He was earlier invited by the police for questioning after the incident when he went to the crime to allegedly see his father’s condition after the incident.

The police are already preparing a criminal complaint for parricide against Glenn. —FPL (FREEMAN)