Man kills self after stabbing son, granddaughter

CEBU CITY -- A resident of Barangay Ocampo, San Francisco, Camotes Island shot himself in the head after allegedly stabbing his son and granddaughter past 7 p.m. last Friday.

Bernardita Donaire told police her husband Lucas, 47, had been acting strange. She said he had been depressed and kept on looking at his reflection in the mirror. He was self-conscious about his looks because he felt he was suffering from a severe ailment.

Last December, Lucas believed he had hepatitis and was afraid he might have passed it on to his family.

The next month, he sold his lot and used the money to medicate himself. Only then did he discover that he had no hepatitis, but had tuberculosis instead.

After that, Bernardita said his depression took a turn for the worst.

On the night of the incident, she said Lucas told her he wanted to die. When she told him to stop thinking that way, he pointed a gun at her. He tried to shoot, but the gun didn't go off.

This gave Bernardita a chance to run, leaving behind their 16-year-old son Kevin and three-year-old granddaughter Samantha Medillo. She went directly to the police.

PO2 Rex Sugarol and his men rushed to the house but when they got there, Lucas had already stabbed Kevin in the chest once and Samantha several times.

The policemen and a barangay official asked Lucas to turn himself in.

Lucas pointed the gun at his head and shouted, "Wala nani'y pulos akong kinabuhi (My life has no meaning)." He then pulled the trigger.

Policemen retrieved the .38 pistol and found a suicide note in his wallet.

The note indicated his frustration over his health, saying he would die just the same.

PO2 Lufran Plaza, the chief investigator, said they are trying to determine why Lucas acted the way he did, although they are open to the possibility that the suspect/victim had psychological problems. (JBT/Sun.Star Cebu)