Superintendent Roberto Villanueva, Navotas police chief, identified the suspect as Ariel de Asis Sr., 24, of Dulong Ilang-Ilang street, Bicol Area, Barangay Tanza.
De Asis’ son and namesake, Ariel Jr., died of a stab wound in the right chest, police said.
Barangay guard Danilo Alcalde said the suspect, a laborer, arrived home apparently high on drugs, at about 9 p.m. and for no apparent reason knifed his son while the boy was sleeping.
"According to the suspect’s wife, Maricel, her husband came home very drunk but did not bother to wake them up," Alcalde said.
The heavily intoxicated De Asis instead sat silently on a chair while toying with a knife as he watched his two children and wife in bed.
But a few moments later, and for unknown reasons, the suspect stood up and stabbed his son in the chest. Maricel, who was observing her husband, became hysterical and shouted for help.
Responding policemen and barangay tanods came to her aid and arrested her husband who was still holding a bloody double-bladed knife allegedly used in killing his son.
Concerned neighbors rushed the boy to the nearby Pagamutan ng Lungsod ng Malabon but attending physician, Dr. Normandy Reyes, pronounced him dead on arrival.
"The suspect looked dazed and seemed unaware of what he did," Alcalde said. At the police station yesterday, Alcalde said, the suspect insisted that he could not have killed his son. – Pete Laude