Hunt continues for killer of movie scribe

Police continued the manhunt for the killer of movie scribe and publicist Eli Formaran, who was stabbed several times inside his condominium unit in Quezon City the other day.

Operatives of the Central Police District (CPD) have been conducting operations since Wednesday for the identification and arrest of the suspect, who was described as between 23 and 25 years old, around 5’6 to 5’7 in height, of medium built and fair complexion.

He was wearing a white T-shirt, blue pants and white rubber shoes and was carrying a gray knapsack when he arrived at Formaran’s unit at the Golondrina Condominium in Castilla street, New Manila last Tuesday night.

Police disclosed that the suspect and Formaran met a couple of times prior to the incident. Tuesday night was their third meeting and the first time that the suspect went to Formaran’s house.

Yesterday, a 23-year-old man from San Roque II in Barangay Valencia was invited by police for questioning. He was later released.

Formaran, who was the publicist of vice presidentiable Sen. Noli de Castro, was found dead in a pool of his own blood inside the comfort room at around 6 a.m. last Wednesday by his household companions.

Police said the body has 14 stab wounds. Ligature marks were also found on his neck.

An undetermined amount of cash, several pieces of jewelry and cellular phones belonging to Formaran were later discovered missing.

Investigation revealed that the suspect left Formaran’s condo unit at 5 a.m. last Wednesday. He even woke up Formaran’s caretaker, identified as Rey Santiago, to tell him he was leaving.

Santiago was sleeping at the ground floor of the condominium unit. Formaran’s room is on the second floor.

At around 6 a.m., Formaran’s driver, identified as Froilan Flancia was on the third floor of the condo unit, when he was roused from sleep by heat apparently coming from his employer’s bedroom.

Flancia went down to Formaran’s burning room to wake him up, but the door was locked and his boss was not responding.

Flancia then sought Santiago’s assistance to forcibly open their employer’s bedroom door.

Thick smoke enveloped the room, prompting Formaran’s household companions to grab pails of water to douse the blaze that started from the victim’s cabinet. Only then did they find the body, on the bathroom floor.

The fire singed Formaran’s clothes and partially damaged the cabinet and ceiling of the bedroom.

Flancia and Santiago immediately sought police assistance.

Police said the suspect used a kitchen knife to stab the victim and a cell phone charger cord to strangle him.