(Updated) Parricide suspect Niño Rey Boniel has resigned as board member of Bohol's second district, barely a year after being detained at the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center for allegedly masterminding the killing of his wife, Bien Unido Mayor Gisela Boniel.
Boniel, who maintained his innocence to the charge, announced his resignation as a legislator in his hometown after the arraignment of his case before Judge Ferdinand Collantes, of the Regional Trial Court branch 65 in Lapu-Lapu City.
“I am still in (a state of) shock,” an emotional Boniel told reporters after his arraignment, referring to the non-bailable case he is facing in court.
Boniel did not enter any plea during his arraignment, saying his lawyers have filed a petition questioning the legality of his arrest before the Department of Justice.
Thus, the court entered the “not guilty” pleading for Boniel and his co-accused Wilfredo Hoylar, and Restituto Magoncia, Jr., while the justice department has yet to resolve their petition.
READ: Suspect: Bohol mayor killed by husband
Niño Rey allegedly shot Gisela on June 7 and threw her body off Caubian Island in Lapu-Lapu City. Her body is still to be found.
READ: Bohol town mayor's body 'dumped into sea'