Man shoots live-in partner before committing suicide

CEBU, Philippines- In what authorities considered was a crime of passion, a 20-year-old student was found dead along with her 28-year-old live-in partner after he allegedly shot her and himself on C. Padilla Street, Little Dalaguete, Barangay San Nicolas Proper, Cebu City early morning yesterday.

Both Meljohn Niel Olmedo, an engineer working as a drafter at the Cebu I.T. Park in Apas, and his girlfriend Jennylyn Avila, a hospitality management student of the Asian College of Technology, had gunshot wounds to the head when found already lifeless inside their room.

Senior Police Officer 4 Alex Dacua, Cebu City Police Office Homicide Section investigator, said Meljohn and Jennylyn have just been living together at his parents’ residence.

Dacua said that weeks before the incident, neighbors observed that the two were always fighting allegedly because Jennylyn had an affair with another man.

He said that last Saturday, Meljohn’s parents intervened and advised the two, something the neighbors thought worked.

“Gihusay pa man gani na nako sila pag miaging adlaw. Na okay naman unta to. Nangayo na’g pasaylo si Jenny namo og niana siya nga mangayo siya’g chance sa ako anak. Nagdungan pa mi’g kaon tanan pag Dominggo,” said Delia, mother of Meljohn.

“Nagtuo sila nga okay na ba. Wala sila kahibawo nga nagpadayon pa diay gihapon ilang away,” Dacua, on the other hand, said.

Neighbors told The FREEMAN that Meljohn was also a hot-tempered type of person.

Melchor, Meljohn’s father, told investigators that at around 7 a.m. yesterday, he heard two gunshots from inside the room on the second floor of their house.

Alarmed, he dashed upstairs and found Meljohn and Jenny sprawled on the floor, both bloodied and already lifeless.  Dacua said the only person in the room aside from the victims was Meljohn’s minor cousin, who was sleeping and got awakened reportedly after the second gunfire.

Dacua said that when they arrived at the crime scene, they found the .45 pistol under the bed and away from Meljohn. 

Dacua said Melchor allegedly accidentally kicked it as he rushed to his son’s aid. Responding policemen found Meljohn still clutching Jennylyn’s hair in his left hand.

“Mura’g gikumot pa ang buhok ba. Mura’g at close range gyud to gipusil,” said Dacua, adding that they would subject the victims to a paraffin test to see if one or both of them fired the gun.

He also said the firearm used in the crime, which was unlicensed, would also be subjected to a ballistic examination.

As to the minor who was present when the crime happened, Dacua said they could not consider him a suspect. He said they observed that Jennylyn suffered a gunshot wound to the right part of her head and Meljohn was right-handed.

Neighbors, though, said they found it anomalous that the minor, who said he was a heavy sleeper, did not hear the gunshot and woke up only to find Meljohn and Jennylyn already dead.

The neighbors said it is suspicious that the minor said he did not hear anything when he was right there inside the room while them who were outside and farther from the victims were the ones who heard the gunshots.  — /RHM  (FREEMAN)