Tanjay City, No leads yet in lawyer's slay

DUMAGUETE CITY, Philippines – Police authorities in Negros Oriental still have no leads yet on the death of a lawyer who was gunned down over the weekend in Tanjay City, about an hour’s drive north of this capital city.

Provincial Police director, Sr. Supt. Edward Carranza on Monday created and convened the Special Investigation Task Group Zerna for a coordinated and delegated probe on the death of Atty. Manolo Zerna, 48, who was shot dead Friday evening in Tanjay City by still unidentified perpetrators.

With no solid case yet on the motive of the killing and the identity of the suspects, Carranza told The Freeman that he could not give any assurance on how the case will progress in the coming days. The police are still pursuing various angles, mostly personal in nature, as to the motive of the murder of Zerna, he said.

Initially, police investigators did not believe the attack was job-related based on initial statements given by family members, Carranza said.

A police report said that shortly before midnight Friday, a security guard detailed at a funeral parlor in Tanjay City informed the city police regarding the death of Zerna.

Investigation showed that around 11:45p.m. Friday, the lawyer was driving a motorcycle on the home from a party with his live-in partner, identified as Evelyn Acas Martinez, and their 4-year-old son.

Upon reaching their house, Martinez disembarked to open the gate when suddenly two unidentified men on a motorcycle stopped behind them. The backrider fired at Zerna twice but missed, got off the motorcycle and went up to the lawyer and shot the latter several times at close range.

Zerna was declared dead on arrival at the Urgent Care Clinic in Tanjay City where he was brought by responding policemen. He succumbed to multiple bullet wounds from a caliber .45 pistol, investigators said. — (FREEMAN)