German murder suspect barred from leaving RP

A German suspected of killing a compatriot and three other people on the resort island of Boracay in Aklan last May 2 has been barred from leaving the country.

On orders of acting Justice Secretary Ma. Merceditas Gutierrez, the Bureau of Immigration placed Uwe Friesl in the hold-departure list on Wednesday.

A copy of the order has been furnished the Department of Foreign Affairs.

Friesl has been charged with robbery with homicide before the Aklan provincial prosecutor’s office.

He is the principal suspect in the murders of German Anton Faustenhauser, Swiss Manfred Schoeni, Briton John James Cowperthwaite, and Filipina Erma Sarmiento.

Faustenhauser, along with Schoeni, a Hongkong gallery owner, Cowperthwaite, a Hongkong-based architect, and Sarmiento, a maid, were found dead in Faustenhauser’s villa in Boracay last May 2.

Police said they have found evidence that Friesl had been at the scene at the time of the murders.

However, Patrick Higgs, Friesl’s friend and co-accused, said he and the German are willing to undergo a DNA test to prove their innocence.

Actually, Friesl had helped police in investigating the murders, he added.

Chito Catalogo, a household worker of Faustenhauser, and three other people have also been charged with the murders.

Friesl’s last known address is D’Mall in Balabag, Boracay island in Malay, Aklan. — Aurea Calica