2 suspects tagged in ‘thrill killing’ in Metro Manila, Southern Tagalog

MABALACAT, Pampanga — Central Luzon police director Chief Superintendent Alajandro Lapinid said yesterday that the police are closing in on a band of young "thrill killers" believed to be involved in the series of recent killings with robberies in this province, Metro Manila, and the Southern Tagalog region, after the arrest of two of the group’s members.

In an interview with The Star, Lapinid said he Olongapo police is set to file abduction and murder charges against some members of the same group suspected of abducting and killing a 21-year-old employee at the Subic Freeport last Feb. 6.

Last week, two of the group’s members were charged with three counts of murder and one count of frustrated murder for the execution-style killing of three youths and the wounding of another in Sitio Aguso in Barangay San Francisco in Mabalacat, Pampanga last Feb. 6. For technical reasons cited by the Angeles Cith prosecutor, however, the suspects were released on bail.

Pampanga police director Senior Superintendent Dindo Espina identified the suspects as Melvin Dizon, of Barangay Sta. Catalina in San Luis, Pampanga; and Mark Francis Pascual of Block 12, St. Jude, San Fernando City, also in Pampanga. Other members of the group are still at large.

Lapinid said the others have been identified as suspects in the abduction and killing of SBMA employee Imee Fajardo, 21. She was forcibly taken by the suspects in a white car at 1 a.m. in Olongapo last Feb. 3. Three hours later, her body was found dumped along the highway in Barangay Remedios in Lubao, Pampanga.

He said that the same group is believed to be also responsible for 11 similar incidents in Metro Manila and another five in towns in southern Luzon.

"Cross matching of the bullet slugs and empty shells from the crime scenes indicated that they came from the same firearms," Espina said. — Ding Cervantes