Witness in Evangelista killing found dead in Cavite?

MANILA, Philippines - The star witness in the brutal killing of car dealer Venson Evangelista has reportedly been found dead in Cavite over the weekend, Venson’s father Arsenio Evangelista said yesterday.

Evangelista said Alfred Mendiola was identified to be among the three men found dumped in Barangay Salawag in Dasmariñas, apparently victims of summary execution.

Cavite police director Senior Superintendent John Bulalacao said investigators could not yet determine if the body found in the province was Mendiola’s.

Bulalacao said they identified one victim as Marc Angelo Miranda Herrera.

“The three victims (were) tied with masking tape on their face(s) and their hands with black cable tie,” Evangelista quoted his source as saying.

“The (manner of killing) was exactly what happened to my son,” he said, referring to Venson’s body when it was found early last year.

There were no additional details yet on the incident and as of last night, Evangelista was baffled as to how Mendiola was no longer under the government’s witness protection program.

According to Evangelista’s sources, Mendiola went out of government custody on Friday.

Mendiola had pointed to brothers Raymond and Roger Dominguez as responsible for the kidnapping and murder of Venson.

The suspect-turned-state witness had admitted to having posed as the buyer of the sport utility vehicle that Venson was selling on the day he was abducted.  – Reinir Padua, Ed Amoroso