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Wednesday, April 05, 2006
Son tags journalist’s gunman
By Jujemay G. Awit
Sun.Star Staff Reporter
The 14-year-old son of Tacurong City media worker Marlene Esperat yesterday identified Gerry Cabayag as the man who shot his mother and killed her on March 24 last year.
The boy said Cabayag greeted his mother as he entered their house uninvited at 7:30 p.m. that day. The son was having dinner with his mother and younger brother.
“Maayong gabii, ma’am (Good evening, ma’am,)” Cabayag reportedly said, before shooting Esperat in the head. The killer stood a foot away from him, the boy recalled.
Esperat’s son took the stand yesterday in Cebu City, where the murder trial was transferred upon the request of the family and media organizations.
The boy also revealed that hours before the shooting, Cabayag visited their home.
He said the suspect had gone to the store beside their house at noon to buy cigarettes and iced water. Since there was no water, Cabayag asked for a glass of water instead.
His sister handed the boy a glass to fill with water for Cabayag. But Cabayag offered to get the water himself, the boy testified.
The boy gave the glass to Cabayag, who then proceeded inside the house, where he stayed longer than expected.
While in court, the boy was also told to describe the gun the suspect used. He said the gun was short.
Prosecutor Fernando Gubalane asked a marshal of the Witness Protection Program to show his gun in court so the boy could tell if it was similar to the one the gunman used.
The son said it was the same, a .45 pistol.
The prosecution also continued the direct examination of Insp. Jose Condeza, a member of Task Force Esperat.
Condeza identified three of the four suspects.
He identified Cabayag, Estanislao Bismanos and Randy Grecia. The fourth suspect, Sgt. Rowie Barua, is right now under the custody of the Department of Justice (DOJ) Witness Protection Program, while his qualifications as a possible state witness are being examined.
Defense counsel Elmer Pacayra earlier objected to the identification, saying Condeza did not testify he was around during the shooting of Esperat.
But Judge Eric Menchavez allowed it, saying the identification is contained in Condeza’s investigation.
Condeza testified that Bismanos and Barua signed extra-judicial confessions admitting to their participation in the killing.
Condeza also said the police made a total of 16 progress reports in the investigation of the Esperat murder. But it was in the ninth progress report that two masterminds were implicated.
In the supplemental extra-judicial confessions of the two suspects, Department of Agriculture Region 12 officials Osmeña Montañer and Estrella Sabay were implicated.
Montañer and Sabay were later dropped as suspects in the case, which the prosecution hopes to correct. A hearing on this issue is scheduled within the month.
For Bisaya stories from Cebu. Click here. (April 5, 2006 issue)
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