Police official charged, tagged as brains in hotelier’s slay

DAVAO CITY, Philippines – Murder charges were filed here yesterday afternoon against four suspects, including a police official who was implicated in the murder of businessman and hotelier Richard King last June 12.

Criminal charges were filed against police Superintendent Leonardo Felonia, who surrendered Monday night to Mayor Rodrigo Duterte after one of the three arrested suspects in the killing of King claimed that the police official hired them to kill the businessman.

King’s younger brother James filed the charges at the Davao City Prosecutor’s Office.

Felonia is the head of the Philippine National Police Regional Intelligence Office of Region 11 until he was relieved and placed under restriction at police headquarters last Monday.

 Also charged were Paul Dave Molina Labang, 24, the alleged gunman; brothers Rommel and Rodel dela Cerna who were identified as the lookout and the driver of the getaway motorcycle that Labang used to escape from the crime scene.

Authorities earlier arrested Labang who shot King in the head at close range while the hotelier was having dinner with his staff at his Vital C Health and Wellness Products building along Sobrecary St. Barangay Obrero in Davao City.

Labang, a resident of Toril district in Davao City, had confessed and reportedly identified Felonia as the one who hired them to kill King.

The gunman claimed that Felonia made them believe that the target King was involved in the illegal drug trade.

Labang also claimed that he did not even know who King was until the next day when his death was reported in the media.

Duterte told Felonia not to surrender to him but rather to the National Bureau of Investigation.

Felonia was immediately brought to the NBI Region 11 office here in Davao City.

The police official denied the accusations against him and made it clear that he brought himself before the authorities to clear his name.

He also vowed to prove that he has nothing to do with the King case.

Davao City police director Senior Superintendent Vicente Danao Jr. said the motive of the killing is still being determined.

A P1.3-million reward was earlier offered for anyone who could provide information leading to the arrest of the suspects in the killing of King, who headed the J. King & Sons Co. Inc., developer of Crown Regency, Club Ultima and the City Suites Ramos Tower in Cebu City.

King also owned the Crown Regency Hotel along Cabaguio Avenue in Davao City.

He was the founder and director of Boracay Multiple Properties Inc. that established the Crown Regency Boracay Resort.

Vital C Health and Wellness Products was King’s latest business venture.

No fall guys

The PNP directed police investigators yesterday not to take shortcuts and arrest fall guys to solve the four recent high-profile killings.

PNP officer-in-charge Deputy Director General Felipe Rojas Jr. explained that there is no deadline for police investigation of the crimes so “we should gather sufficient evidence to pin down the suspects to ensure conviction in court.”

In the past, relatives of arrested suspects complained that the suspects were mere fall guys because of the hasty police investigation that often led to the dismissal of cases in court.  â€“ With Non Alquitran