2 die, 2 hurt in bloody family fight

An allegedly drug-crazed man stabbed dead his uncle and seriously wounded his aunt and 13-year-old female cousin after he tried to rob the family in their home early yesterday morning in Muntinlupa City.

But suspect Roger Tolentino-Salvador, 22, married and jobless, was also stabbed dead by his other cousin, Melvin, who responded to his uncle Nicomedes Tolentino’s cries for help.

Tolentino sustained 13 stab wounds in the body and died before reaching the MCM Hospital in Barangay Putatan. His wife, Ma. Fe, 50, and daughter April, were taken to the Philippine General Hospital. They are in critical condition.

The incident happened at around 2:40 a.m. in 771 Purok 6, Barangay Cupang.

Senior Superintendent Erasto Lim Sanchez, officer-in-charge of the Muntinlupa police, said that Salvador, possibly accompanied by two or three others, broke into the house of Tolentino, a businessman, and ransacked the place.

Tolentino had just sold a parcel of land in Bicol and the suspect could have taken interest in the money.

Police said Tolentino had just arrived from the market, as shown by the bags of groceries left at the front door of the house, when he chanced upon the suspect. Just as Tolentino screamed for help, Salvador slugged the victim with the butt of an air-gun on the head and began stabbing him with a 10-inch long kitchen knife. The suspect then attacked Ma. Fe and April who were at the second floor of the house.

Salvador tried to escape but was caught by Melvin who stabbed him dead with a kitchen knife. The fatal weapons were recovered as well as the air-gun and a brown attaché case, which might have been the suspect’s target, Sanchez said. Police have yet to inspect the contents of the bag.

Melvin is now in police custody while police are still determining the identities of Salvador’s cohorts. –Nikko Dizon