Raps filed vs child killer

Police filed murder charges against the self-confessed killer of a three-year-old boy yesterday, even as the suspect expressed remorse and blamed the effects of illegal drugs over his crime.

"Patawarin po ninyo ako. Hindi ko alam ang aking ginawa," said a tearful Rene Cervantes as he pleaded for mercy with police and the family of victim Clarence Racho inside the investigation room of the homicide section of the Western Police District (WPD).

Cervantes, 34, a sidecar driver, of 2459 Camachile street, Singalong, Manila, was arrested Thursday night by a combined group of Manila policemen and operatives of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) in Sitio Bagong Buhay, Barangay San Jose, Antipolo City.

Following his arrest, Cervantes admitted stabbing to death Racho, the son of his live-in partner Marlyn while high on shabu.

The child was discovered dead with 20 stab wounds inside the second floor room of their residence in Singalong, Manila Tuesday afternoon.

Police recovered a foot-long kitchen knife with bloodstains and several pieces of aluminum foil with traces of shabu inside the couple’s room.

Homicide investigator SPO2 Athos de Quiros said the live-in couple engaged in a pot session inside their room and later on figured in a quarrel over Marlyn’s rumored closeness with her male neighbor.

Marlyn left the house at the height of their quarrel, leaving the suspect inside the room together with the victim.

Marlyn’s father, Mario, revealed yesterday that he saw the suspect stabbing his grandson. However, due to his frail health, Mario could only watch in horror as the suspect butchered the boy then leave the house.

The gruesome killing of the boy prompted Manila Mayor Lito Atienza to order WPD director Chief Superintendent Pedro Bulaong to immediately arrest the suspect at all cost.

WPD-Homicide Section chief Senior Inspector Dominador Arevalo told The STAR a relentless pursuit of the suspect was effected in several reported sightings of the killer in Barangay Riverside, Tramo in Pasay City; Treelane Subdivision in Bayang Luma, Imus, Cavite; Veraville Subdivision in Las Piñas City; Barangay Wawa in Bayambang, Pangasinan and Camiling in Tarlac.

"We had to track down the suspect in all these places, but he was so elusive we always return empty handed. Until we were informed that the suspect was spotted in Antipolo City. A coordination with the CIDG bore fruit when the suspect was finally collared," Arevalo said.

At the police headquarters, the suspect unabashedly cried and asked everyone in sight for forgiveness. He claimed he cannot remember anything on that fatal Tuesday afternoon since he was very high on drugs.

The victim’s family said the suspect deserves nothing less than the death sentence.