Lotto winner vacates house

Lotto winner Lucito de los Reyes, tagged as the mastermind in the killing of his neighbor Juanito Tuano on June 23, and his family had vacated their house in Barangay Malanday in Marikina City.

Senior Supt. Felipe Rojas Jr., Marikina City police chief, however, cautioned that its too early to tell whether the flight of De los Reyes means he is guilty of the charges against him.

But Rojas said it would now be difficult for them to get De los Reyes once a warrant of arrest is issued against him.

Reports reaching Rojas showed that the door of De los Reyes’ bungalow in Fairlane St., Parkland Subdivision was padlocked from the outside. His neighbors claimed that the lotto winner and his family left in haste after City Prosecutor Loreto Acejo ordered his release from jail on June 24.

Only his lawyer appeared during the preliminary investigation of the case last July 2.

Rojas earlier questioned the release order saying authorities did not take into consideration the local police request for verification of gun ownership at the Firearms and Explosives Division (FED) in Camp Crame. The FED certified that the caliber 9mm pistol recovered from hired gunman, Ramil Ramirez, 35, was owned by De los Reyes.

Assistant prosecutor Nestor Gapuzan, who reviewed the case, however, defended the release of De los Reyes saying that though he owns the seized gun "does not give rise to the conclusion that he masterminded the perpetration of the said crime without having established his participation by overt act."

The unwritten confession of Ramirez that De los Reyes masterminded the killing of Tuano, he said, is also inadmissible as evidence and his warrantless arrest was illegal.

Rojas is hoping though that Acejo would reconsider his decision as he submitted additional evidence against De los Reyes last week. — Non Alquitran