Love triangle eyed in slay of househelp

BUTUAN CITY — The wife of a Japanese businessman and her driver, suspected to be her lover, are the prime suspects of the police in the murder of their teenage former househelp.

Local police tagged Alma Yamasaki, 40, wife of the Japanese businessman, and her driver Camilo Abundo Jr. alias "Dodong" as prime suspects in the killing of Kristine Perez, 17, a former househelp whose body was found dumped on a roadside last Sept. 23.

Police said they are looking at a love triangle as the motive for the killing of Perez, former maid of the Yamasakis.

Yamasaki had earlier accused Perez, of Sibagat, Agusan del Sur, of carrying on an affair with a certain "Rey." Rey is allegedly a former lover of Yamasaki although she had introduced him as a nephew.

The body of Perez was found dumped on a roadside in Barangay Los Angeles, some 14 kilometers east of this city last Sept. 23. A friend, a certain Lani Pitogo, identified her body at a local funeral parlor.

Police found at the crime scene a yellow sweatshirt allegedly owned by Abundo. They said the victim could have been struck in the head with a hard object, breaking her skull.

Perez was a househelp of Antonio Hallera of Purok 6, Bliss Project, Libertad, Butuan City, when she was killed.

Hallera told PO3 Anisberto Rivera, Butuan police investigator, that Perez asked his permission last Sept. 23 at about 3 p.m. to go to the house of Yamasaki at Emenville Subdivision, Libertad, Butuan City.

He said he went to Yamasaki’s house to inquire when Perez had not yet returned at around 9:30 p.m. that same day.

Hallera said Yamasaki told him she would not allow Perez to leave because she still had a score to settle.

He reportedly warned Yamasaki that she could be charged with kidnapping, to which she retorted that they meet instead at the Libertad police station at around 10 p.m.

Hallera said he went to the police station but Yamasaki failed to come. He went back to Yamasaki’s house and claimed he saw Abundo on a motorcycle with Perez and Yamasaki riding on the rear seat.

That was the last time Perez was seen alive.

Abundo and Yamasaki denied having a hand in the killing of Perez. They claimed they dropped off Perez at the crossing of Barangay Ambago, near Libertad, in the early morning of Sept. 24.