Cousin arrested for rob-slay of student

MANILA, Philippines - A jobless 22-year-old man was arrested yesterday for allegedly conspiring to rob and kill his 18-year-old cousin, a student at the University of Asia and the Pacific, last Saturday.

Rodolfo San Agustin, however, denied killing his first cousin, Ranilo Raymundo, in their house at Parkwood Village Phase 10 in Barangay Maybunga, Pasig City, according to city police intelligence chief Senior Inspector Alan Miparanum.

“He (San Agustin) claimed he was on the ground floor and it was his close friend who was talking to his cousin inside his room,” said Miparanum, who declined to reveal the name of San Agustin’s friend so as not to jeopardize ongoing followup operations.

Miparanum admitted they have yet to establish the motive behind the slaying of Raymundo.

Housemaid Mirriam Mareno found Raymundo’s body at past 5 a.m. Saturday when she forced his bedroom door open after the victim failed to respond to her repeated knocks.

He had been repeatedly stabbed and his body covered with a bloodstained blanket.

Investigators are eyeing robbery as a motive since Raymundo’s three cell phones and two laptops, as well as an expensive camera, were reported missing.

According to Miparanum, they were able to trace San Agustin through the surveillance camera at the subdivision’s front gate. “We saw them coming in and out of the subdivision. We also have witnesses showing that they arrived at the victim’s residence prior to the discovery of his body,” he said.

Police are preparing robbery with homicide charges against San Agustin, who is being held at the city police detention center.