Filipino in Taiwan accused of killing store owner

MANILA, Philippines — A Filipino factory worker in Taiwan was accused of homicide after surveillance video allegedly shows a store owner knocked to death with a hammer.

According to a report by China state-run Central News Agency on Monday, 31-year-old Darwin Gorospe Sarmiento has been handed over by police to prosecutors in Taoyuan County for the alleged killing of Lin Chang-hsing on Friday night.

Police said Lin was manning his grocery store in Shulin District in New Taipei when he denied Sarmiento from buying a telephone card as he declared the shop closed for the night.

Sarmiento then allegedly attacked him with a hammer before stabbing him in the neck with a screwdriver multiple times.

Police said the suspect allegedly tied up Lin's Filipino wife and children to prevent them from contacting authorities.

The woman, however, managed to free herself by Saturday morning and called police.

Lin reportedly granted loans to migrant workers, who promised to pay goods purchased from the store.

The report said that Sarmiento initially denied the charges, but later admitted to the crime after the surveillance footage capturing the assault surfaced.

Lin's wife, however, said that her late husband angered Sarmiento when he refused to lend him money as he already owed a previous sum.

A preliminary investigation by police showed that Sarmiento was earning $663.80 or P29,505.91 monthly from a factory.

His employer reportedly said that the Filipino overseas worker was an honest man, paying borrowed money right away and even returning a lost wallet without accepting a reward.