CEBU, Philippines - A 44-year-old man is facing charges for allegedly robbing and killing his neighbor in Balamban town last Sunday.
Cesar Carmelotes, a resident of Sitio Laray, Barangay Buanoy, chose not to file his counter-affidavit at prosecutor’s level. Instead, he will answer the charges in court.
He, however, denied the allegations during an interview and said he has no idea why the 14-year-old daughter of the victim, Jonalyn Abendan, pointed at him.
Carmelotes said he passed by the house of the victim as he was from a disco party in Balamban. He argued that he would have already escaped if he killed Abendan but he did not. In fact, he was in the area when he reportedly heard that she was killed.
He said he will face the charges because he is innocent. He has three children ages 12, 11 and seven.
Balamban police arrested Carmelotes on Sunday at the crime scene while he was reportedly mingling with those who got curious about the killing.
The police took pictures of the crowd and showed the photos to Abendan’s 14-year-old daughter who saw her mother getting stabbed to death. The girl reportedly cried upon seeing the photo with Carmelotes in it, which prompted the police to arrest the suspect.
Investigation revealed that Carmelotes and a companion allegedly took almost P40,000 cash and gadgets from Abendan.
They allegedly entered the victim’s house around 1 a.m. by detaching the wooden grill at the dirty kitchen. They then proceeded to her room where they hogtied the mother and daughter with a cable wire inside the restroom.
Abendan managed to loosen the wire but as she was about to go out of the comfort room, she bumped into Carmelotes and the suspect stabbed her 20 times.
Most of the victim’s wounds were found on her hands.
The two suspects then fled and the daughter got the chance to call her neighbors for help. Police said Abendan was in the money lending business while her husband works abroad. They have five children but the other four slept in another house at the time of the incident. – (FREEMAN)