Accusations of threats, theft hound Ellah Joy Pique trial

ELLAH Joy Pique’s father Renante accused Bella Ruby Santos of threatening him during a court hearing last April 29.

He told reporters yesterday that after Santos allegedly signaled slitting her throat in front of him, he began fearing for his life.

He said he had the incident recorded in the blotter at the Fuente Police Station the next day.

Santos and his British boyfriend Ian Charles Griffiths are suspected of killing Ellah Joy, who was found last Feb. 9 at the foot of a cliff in Barili.

They are charged with kidnapping with homicide.

Senior Supt. Patrocinio Comendador said he will consult the Task Force Ellah Joy before filing a case against Santos over the alleged throat-slitting gesture.

“Bug-at ni nga pasangil (This is a serious accusation),” said Comendador, who is the task force spokesperson.

Denial

Santos’s counsel, Ana Luz Cristal, denied Re-nante’s allegation.

Renante described San-tos as disrespectful to the court when she wiggled out her tongue and allegedly threatened him.

“Mohatag ta siya’g respeto. Natural ra man gyod na sa ginikanan nga mangitag hustisya (It is only natural that I, being a parent, will seek justice for my daughter’s death. Santos should respect that),” he said. “Kon nasakitan siya, labi ning namatyan (We were the ones who lost a daughter).”

Last month, neighbors told Renante some men were looking for him and asking about his background. They were allegedly Santos’s men.

Comendador said he directed the Minglanilla Police Station to secure the Pique family.

Last Wednesday night, Santos went to the Naga Police Station and reported that her laptop, digital camera and a cell phone had been stolen.

Allegation

Police said the culprits entered through the sliding door and destroyed her room’s doorknob.

Her counsel said the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) 7 may be behind the burglary.

“It has something to do with the case,” she said.

Cristal wondered why the thieves did not take Santos’s expensive jewelry and bags.

Inocencio dela Cerna, CIDG 7 counsel, said Cristal’s allegation is “very malicious and bordering on libel.”

“It only proves that the accusation is borne out of desperation and paranoia,” he said in a text message.

The Santos camp, dela Cerna said, is “moving heaven and earth to destroy the credibility” of the PNP task force and CIDG 7, the lead investigating team.

Comendador said they will investigate the incident, but he told Santos’s camp not to use it to obtain “legal edge.”