Housewife raped, knifed 4 times by garbage man

A garbage collector raped a housewife and tried to finish her off by stabbing her four times in Pasig City yesterday. But the victim, Marina Cuarto, 25, of Jenny’s Avenue, extension, Barangay Maybunga survived to tell her story, leading to the suspect’s arrest.

Gilberto Layson, 20, of Roel St., Barangay Munting Bahayan, was doing his rounds about 50 meters from the victim’s house, when cornered by policemen. He did not resist arrest.

PO2 Fernan Clemente said Layson entered the victim’s house after her husband left for work at about 6:25 a.m. The husband unintentionally left the front door open in his haste to report to work early, police said.

Layson, Clemente said, found the victim sleeping in bed. The suspect allegedly poked a knife at the victim’s neck and ordered her to remain silent. He then remove the victim’s underwear and raped her.

Apparently to conceal his crime, the suspect stabbed the victim in the chest four times before fleeing on foot. Although wounded, the victim managed to dragged herself out of the house and shouted for help. Neighbors took her to the Rizal Medical Center.

At her hospital bed, Cuarto identified her attacker and the police did not waste time in arresting Layson.

Layson denied the charges against him. But policemen said they have witnesses who can testify that they saw the suspect enter and leave Cuarto’s house hours before she was found bleeding.

Clemente filed yesterday rape and frustrated homicide charges against Layson before the Pasig City Prosecutor’s Office. He is now detained at the Pasig City Jail.