Woman who rapped Cebu City fiscal shot by policeman ‘lover’

CEBU CITY — Like most sordid tales of love, sex and betrayal, the story of Cherry Augusto took a sharp, unexpected turn to violence the other day.

She was shot in the head in a sister’s apartment in Lapu-Lapu City by a jealous policeman named Clementino Dulguime Jr. who then turned the gun on himself and committed suicide.

Dulguime was alleged to be her lover.

Augusto, 24, who only two months ago shook Cebu by claiming she caught her husband Zandro in a motel with assistant city prosecutor Mary Ann Castro, was in critical condition at the Mactan Community hospital.

The bullet fired by Dulguime from his caliber .38 service revolver hit Augusto in the right temple and exited through her forehead. Doctors gave her a 50-50 chance to live.

Dulguime died on the spot, the bullet from his gun shattering his brain.

The tragedy came on the same day Augusto formally withdrew the charges she filed against Castro with the Office of the Ombudsman. Her marriage to Zandro, 30, a cellphone dealer, was up for annulment.

Toast of the town

Zandro, despite seeing his marriage to Augusto become the toast of the town, broke down upon hearing the news. "I was deeply saddened by the news," he told reporters at the hospital.

The estranged couple were supposed to meet at the time Augusto was shot in her sister Elvie’s apartment. She was supposed to explain to her lawyer why she retracted her allegations against Castro.

Zandro, who claims to have known about Augusto’s alleged dalliance with Dulguime who got married only last July, suspects the policeman may have concluded that after withdrawing her case against Castro, she would be returning to her husband.

A witness to the shooting, Noraden Ruiz, a former maid of Augusto, said Dulguime went to the apartment at about 9 a.m. holding copies of two local newspapers carrying stories about Augusto retracting her allegations against Castro. 

Neighbors saw Dulguime walking in and out of the apartment with a gun tucked in his waist. Ruiz said she asked Augusto why Dulguime was staying too long and that Augusto reportedly joked about the policeman probably having a crush on her.

As Ruiz went out of the apartment ahead of Augusto, Dulguime entered the apartment and moments later, gunshots were heard.

Ruiz said she saw Augusto sprawled on the floor, blood oozing from her head. Dulguime hovered over her, a gun in his hand.

Fearing Dulguime might turn on her, Ruiz ran screaming out of the apartment. She then heard two more gunshots from inside. When policemen came minutes later, Dulguime was sprawled on the floor near Augusto. — Freeman News Service