NBI readies charge vs suspect in Picache ma’s slay

MANILA, Philippines - The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) said yesterday it is preparing to file charges of robbery with homicide against the key suspect in the death of actress Cherry Pie Picache’s mother, 75-year-old Zenaida Sison.

NBI-Death Investigation Division case officer Special Investigator Robert Joey Ajero said they were building a case against 29-year-old Michael Flores.

“Most likely we would file robbery with homicide against the suspect,” Ajero said, adding that they had physical evidence and witness testimonies to corroborate the findings of their probe. “We will file the case as soon as possible.”

Picache, accompanied by her siblings and lawyer Eric Calunsag, went to the NBI yesterday for a conference on the latest investigation developments.

Calunsag said the NBI was ready to file the case, in coordination with the Criminal Investigation and Detection Unit-Quezon City Police District.

The family of the victim made an appeal to the public to contact the NBI if they had any information about the case or whereabouts of Flores, a native of Cebu.

At the NBI yesterday, Picache also underwent DNA testing. Ajero said it would help authorities determine whether blood at the crime scene belonged to the victim, suspect or somebody else.

During the height of Tropical Storm Mario on Sept. 19, relatives found Sison’s body in her home with multiple stab wounds. Sison sometimes employed Flores as a “stay-out” house cleaner.