Antipolo bakery massacre: ‘Victims may have been sedated’

MANILA, Philippines — Police are looking at the possibility that the suspect in the killing of seven people in a bakery in Antipolo, Rizal on Tuesday sedated the victims before stabbing them multiple times.

This developed after investigators found out that the suspect, identified only as “Bogart,” reportedly gave the victims a bottle of gin the night before the murder.

Col. Felipe Maraggun, Rizal police director, said the liquor was reportedly a gift to the suspect, who celebrated his birthday the day before the killing.

“We subjected the liquor to laboratory testing to determine if it was laced with sedatives,” Maraggun said.

The 35-year-old suspect is reportedly a co-owner of the J&B Malunggay Bakery in Barangay Cupang, where the victims were found dead on Tuesday morning. Two of the victims were minors while the rest were between 21 and 25 years old.

Among the victims was the bakery owner and business partner of the suspect.

Earlier, Bogart claimed he defended himself as the victims were allegedly plotting to kill him so they could have the bakery to themselves.

Apart from stab wounds, some of the victims bore signs of blunt trauma, possibly caused by a hammer that was recovered at the crime scene, probers said.

A relative of one of the victims told TV 5 that her brother bore head injuries. Probers said some of the victims appeared to have been bludgeoned on the head.

Maraggun said the suspect is cooperating in the investigation and consistent in his statement on how he allegedly carried out the killing.