Jailed Valentine's Day murder suspect hangs self, survives

ORMOC CITY, Philippines  — The jailed 20-year-old suspected killer of an 18-year-old female high school student last February 14 was found just in time by the jail guard of Ormoc Police Station 1 hanging inside the comfort room of his detention cell using a blanket wrapped around his neck last night, February 17.

Dionelito Variosa, who voluntarily surrendered to the police right after the killing, was rushed to the hospital at 9:44 pm by the authorities, including Sr. Insp. Shevert Alvin Machete, station chief.

Variosa was successfully revived by the doctors and is under tight watch by police, because of the volatile situation between him and the victim's relatives.

Police personnel on duty said that the routine count of inmates, done every three hours as imposed by Machete, saved the life of Variosa. The jail guard said that, during the body count, he found the 18th detainee (Variosa) was missing, prompting the guards to search the cell. They later found Variosa hanging inside the comfort room.

At daytime yesterday or before the suicide attempt, Variosa executed an extra-judicial confession of the murder, as part of the police work in finalizing the documents for the filing of a murder case against him.

Machete, in an exclusive interview with The FREEMAN, said that he noticed Variosa to be depressed as what the latter was at the time of surrender. "Even with his father, the chairman of Bgy. Tambulilid, accompanying him, signs of a very troubled mind were evident of him (the suspect)". (FREEMAN)