Woman linked to TV director’s killer faces raps — NBI

National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) officials said yesterday they are mulling the filing of charges against a woman who allegedly gave a pistol to Oliver Jameiro, the primary suspect in the killing of a TV director in Makati City last month.

NBI Director Reynaldo Wycoco said they are giving Charito Angeles, 35, three days to appear at the bureau office before they file charges against her.

Also asked to appear was Marine Maj. Roberto Velasco, who owns the Glock 357 that killed Luis Santiago, director of the ABS-CBN horror series Nginiig, and wounded six others in the shooting incident at the Venezia bar last month.

Angeles could be facing criminal charges, while Velasco would be charged administratively.

If Angeles fails to appear, Wycoco said, charges could be filed against her tomorrow afternoon or Monday morning before the Department of Justice.

The NBI sent the subpoena to Angeles’ last known address in Ayala-Alabang, Muntinlupa City.

Wycoco said they would course through the office of Vice Admiral Ernesto de Leon, flag officer in command of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), the summons for Velasco.

"Charito Angeles has criminal liability. At the very least, she is an accomplice to the crime of homicide. We are giving her three days to respond to the allegations," Wycoco said.

In the case of the Marine officer, the NBI chief said his negligence "caused the death of some people, at the very least it will cause the filing of administrative charges."

The Makati police verified with the Firearms and Explosives Division (FED) that Velasco owned the pistol. They still have to determine how the handgun landed in the possession of Angeles.

NBI-NCR director Edmund Arugay said Angeles should be made accountable not only for the death of Santiago, but should also answer for the direct assault of a person in authority and six counts of attempted homicide.

"She would be considered an accomplice if she merely handed the gun to Jameiro, but if she goaded him into shooting, then that could fall under the crime of principle by inducement," he explained.

Arugay said Jameiro’s claim that someone handed him a gun was "believable" since "if he had the gun from the beginning, then he would have used it while he was being beaten up. It was only when the suspect crawled to a parked vehicle did he got hold of the weapon and fired at the crowd."

NBI Interpol Chief Ricardo Diaz said the firing mode of a Glock pistol can be adjusted to full automatic, wherein a single pull of the trigger could result in the firing of several bullets.

He said the gun might have been in full automatic mode at the time of the incident.

Authorities have yet to recover the gun used in the shooting incident outside the Venezia Bar last June 8.

The other day, the NBI filed homicide and assault charges against Jameiro. He was apprehended on July 3 at the house of his former girlfriend in Marikina City.