Tuguegarao cop faces parricide raps

Manila, Philippines -  A policeman from Tuguegarao City faces parricide charges for allegedly killing his wife in Sampaloc, Manila last June 6, officials said yesterday.

Manila Police District homicide section operatives, led by Senior Inspector Joy Ocampo and Senior Police Officer 1 Alonzo Layugan, brought PO1 Nathan Legasi, 30, to the MPD yesterday.

Legasi surrendered to his superior, Senior Inspector Richard Gatan, at the Police Regional Office 2’s 2nd Regional Public Safety Battalion in Tuguegarao City on June 12. He said he did not intend to kill his wife and his gun fired accidentally while they were quarreling.

Layugan said Legasi did not resist arrest but invoked his right to remain silent.

According to investigators, Legasi’s wife, Krizzia, had been hiding from her husband and was preparing to leave the country to work as a nurse abroad. Witnesses said Krizzia had been a battered wife for so long and she could no longer take her husband’s beatings so she decided to come to Manila to apply for an overseas job.

Layugan said Krizzia had been renting Room 302 of the NIC Apartment along Manrique street in Sampaloc, Manila for a couple of weeks while waiting her papers to be processed.

However, Legasi found out where his wife was staying. He went to the apartment building on June 6 and asked about a room. He introduced himself as Joshua Pacete and claimed he intended to stay for five days.

Landlady Irene Castillo said after she explained the house rules, the suspect paid the full amount of P950 and took Room 202, just underneath Krizzia’s unit. She said her daughter brought the suspect to his room.

Castillo said she heard a commotion in Krizzia’s unit after about an hour, followed by a woman’s scream and a gunshot. She said her helper went upstairs to check and met Legasi still holding a bag and tucking his gun, leaving his room in a hurry.

Layugan said Castillo identified the suspect through a photo found among the victim’s belongings.