MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine National Police Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP CIDG) filed a murder complaint against suspects in the killing in Tarlac of beauty queen and her Israeli boyfriend.
Police Colonel Thomas Valmonte, chief of CIDG’s legal division, filed the complaint for two counts of murder with the Department of Justice (DOJ) on Thursday, August 15. Valmonte said at least five respondents face the complaint over the killing of beauty pageant contestant Geneva Lopez and boyfriend Yitzhak Cohen. The CIDG officer did not name the respondents.
“Actually, may meeting silang ginawa, that’s why mayroong allegation ng conspiracy. Nag-meeting sila at [pinagplanuhan] nila ang aktuwal na pagpatay doon sa dalawa… At merong dalawang ‘yong talagang bumaril. Merong isa naman na kasama sa pag-dispose ng body. At meron na, ibang tao na kasama rin sa plano, na sinama rin namin sa complaint,” Valmonte told reporters.
(Actually, they had a meeting that’s why there’s an allegation of conspiracy. They had a meeting and planned the actual killing of the two. There are at least two respondents who shot the victims, then there’s another who disposed the bodies. We also included in the complaint other people who took part in the planning.)
“Of course, gusto namin ng justice. ‘Yong lahat ng may gawa nito, managot. ‘Yon lang naman pinakagusto namin (Of course, we want to attain justice. We want everyone involved in this crime to be held accountable. That’s the only thing we want),” Joni Lopez, Geneva’s sister, told reporters.
Murder is a non-bailable offense. If proven guilty of the offense, a person may face reclusion perpetua as punishment or imprisonment of 20 years and one day to 40 years.
Valmonte maintained that the motive behind the crime is a land dispute. The CIDG officer said that based on their probe, the respondents allegedly pawned the land to the victims, and then the respondents later sought to get the land back. However, Valmonte said Lopez and her boyfriend did not arrive to an agreement with the respondents.
Lopez, a Mutya ng Pilipinas – Pampanga 2023 candidate, and Cohen went missing after going to Tarlac for a land transaction on June 21. A day later, the Bureau of Fire Protection probed an abandoned and burned vehicle in Barangay Cristo Rey in Capas town. Lopez’s family confirmed that the recovered items from the vehicle were Lopez’s.
Later, Lopez and Cohen’s remains were found in a quarry site in Barangay Santa Lucia in Capas. Autopsy revealed that the two had been shot. In a press conference on July 8, Interior chief Benhur Abalos presented former cops Michael Guiang and Rommel Abuzo, and civilian Jeffrey Santos as suspects.
Abalos said two more suspects, “Dondon” and “Junjun,” surrendered to the authorities. A total of seven individuals were implicated in the crime. – Rappler.com