Police hope witnesses to killing of apl.de.ap's brother will now talk

ANGELES CITY, Philippines  – Police probers expressed hope that witnesses to the killing of the half-brother of Black Eyed Peas member Allan Pineda, popularly known as apl.de.ap, will finally talk following his burial yesterday.

Senior Superintendent Pierre Bucsit, Angeles City police chief, said investigators now have witnesses, including relatives of the victim, Joven Deala, and “members of a group who know” his girlfriend, Ellaine Torres, who are “willing to talk after the burial.”

“There are other witnesses to the crime, and they just want the wake to be finished before they speak out,” Bucsit said.

Joven’s remains were buried yesterday afternoon at the cemetery in Barangay Sapang Bato here.

Probers initially said they were looking into a possible love triangle, but later dismissed this as largely based on hearsay.  

Deala was shot dead in a van where he was with Torres in Barangay Ninoy Aquino here last Feb. 3. One of the gunmen fired at his head with a caliber 9-mm pistol.

The burial was held a day after Pineda attended his half-brother’s wake. 

Pineda arrived on Monday morning on board a chartered Vista jet, which landed at the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport at the Clark Freeport, and left nine hours later.

Bucsit said police furnished Pineda with a progress report on the investigation.

“There was no request nor any message from him,” Bucsit said.

He also denied reports that Pineda offered a reward for the identification and arrest of his half-brother’s killers.

Clark immigration officer Ramon Lapid said Pineda was obviously sad when he boarded his jet to fly back to the United States. 

“He just sadly waved to people at the airport and did not mix with them. He was obviously grieving and was not in the mood to even talk, “ Lapid told The STAR.    – Ding Cervantes