Man arrested for death of wife

CEBU, Philippines -  Francisco Alpar, 49, claimed that his wife, 46-year-old Endridia, died of cardiac arrest Tuesday in Barangay West Poblacion, Naga City. But to everyone’s surprise, embalmers found three gunshot wounds in her stomach.

The Naga police arrested Francisco at 10:50 p.m. for obstruction of justice for failure to immediately report the incident.

Police suspected that Francisco was trying to conceal what really happened. This prompted them to subject Francisco to a paraffin test at the Philippine National Police Crime Laboratory-7 in Camp Sotero Cabahug, Cebu City.

Francisco claimed that he was at the house of his brother Feliciano about 10 meters away when he heard somebody screamed from his house.

When he checked, Francisco said he saw his children embracing the already unconscious Endridia.

They rushed her to the Minglanilla District Hospital but she was pronounced dead on arrival by the attending physician.

SPO2 Saul Alejandria, the investigator, said that neighbors of the couple heard bursts of gunfire at around 10:50 p.m. Monday. This was contrary to the claims of Francisco that he did not hear anything.

Alejandria’s suspicion was heightened because no bloodstain was found in the scene, as if it was cleaned right after the killing.

“Kung dunay samad duna gyud nay dugo kay bisan matusok kag dagom magdugo man gani,” he told The FREEMAN in a phone interview. (When there is wound, there is always blood.)

He added that the perpetrator possibly used a revolver.

Alejandria dismissed the possibility that Endridia committed suicide because had this been the case, there would have been only one gunshot wound.

“Ug mag-unay usa ra unta ka samad unya nganong sa tiyan man gyud nga pwede man sa ulo,” he said. (Suicide victims usually have wound in the head, not in the stomach.)

Police will be filing appropriate case against Francisco if proven positive of gunpowder residue.

Police will also file a separate case for obstruction of justice to those who were in the scene during the incident for concealing information.

“Uncooperative sila tanan dili kasaligan ilang statement kay usab-usab but so far wala pa mi testigos magpaabot lang una mi sa result sa Crime Lab,” Alejandria said. (All of them did not cooperate and their statements were unreliable because these kept changing.)  — (FREEMAN)