Saturday, October 07, 2006 2 cops face murder-robbery raps
TWO policemen and a police asset were charged with two counts of murder and one case of robbery in connection with the death of moneylender Pilar Hernandez and her secretary Wivina Pancho.
SPO1 Mateo Franco Yanson, his cousin SPO1 Elmo Yanson Rosales and civilian asset Troy Maque Diago were named respondents in the case.
The result of a ballistic exam, the dying declaration of one of the victims, a portion of the alleged killer’s name written in blood, and witnesses’ sworn statements resulted in the filing of the complaints before the City Prosecutor’s Office.
Conspirators
Homicide Section Chief Erlando Metante told reporters that Rosales and Diago were considered conspirators because custody of the firearm used in the killing “revolved around them.”
PO1 Eddely Malata, who owns the 9mm Taurus pistol, gave to Diago the firearm last month so he could help her find a buyer. On Sept. 8, Yanson reportedly asked if the firearm was already sold because he found an interested buyer.
Diago reportedly handed over to Yanson the gun.
In the afternoon of Sept. 10, a day after the killing, Yanson reportedly returned the gun to Diago and told him that the prospective buyer was no longer interested.
Metante said the firearm was given to Rosales, who returned the firearm to Malata last Sept. 25.
Senior Insp. George Ylanan told reporters yesterday that the investigation was carefully conducted and took exception to Diago’s latest affidavit.
Diago, who initially signed two affidavits confirming Yanson had the firearm on the day of the shooting last Sept. 9, later claimed he was threatened by Ylanan and Metante into signing the affidavit.
Ylanan said they did not just pick any policeman to blame for the killing.
He said a radio reporter witnessed the questioning and that they had the incident recorded on video.
Ylanan said this will prove they did not make up Diago’s statements.
He also explained that they had two statements from Diago because his first one did not jibe with Malata’s, who said it was Rosales who returned the firearm to her.
Hernandez and her assistant Pancho, 56, were shot several times inside their office along T. Padilla Ext. last Sept. 9.
Hernandez, who celebrated her 62nd birthday that day, owned the PRH Lending Investors Inc., a lending firm that caters to men in uniform.
Hernandez was hit repeatedly in the chest. She was also stabbed in the nape and, according to the autopsy report, died almost immediately.
Pancho was also shot in the chest and suffered wounds in face.
It was the deal on the firearm that police consider the biggest breakthrough in the case. They only learned that the firearm matched the empty shells found in the crime scene last Monday.
Asked how they got hold of the firearm and submitted it to a ballistics exam, Ylanan said word spread throughout the Cebu City Police Office about police officers trying to sell a firearm during the time of the killing.
Ylanan said all they had to do was trace who owned the firearm, leading them to Malata.
“The names of Yanson and Rosales did not come from us. It came from them (Diago and Malata). And it turned out their statements corroborated with the physical evidence we recovered. Kanang forensic evidence, di na mahimong mamugna,” Ylanan told reporters.
“We requested SPO1 (Mateo) Yanson to undergo a polygraph test at the National Bureau of Investigation but he declined and we also sent him a subpoena to appear at our office but he never came nor sent any communication stating the reason for his failure to appear,” the homicide investigators said.
Writing
Aside from that, the Hernandez’s family found more proof that led them to Yanson.
When the bloodstains from Pancho’s table dried up, they saw that she attempted to write down Yanson’s name using her blood.
The table showed characters that appeared like letters Y, A, S and N.
Homicide chief investigator SPO3 Jay Yballe said that Pancho wrote over the letter S on the letter N.
She also reportedly tried to write down his name a second time.
When Pancho was taken to the hospital by PO2 Jessie Yramis and PO2 Jaime Abellana—who found the two women them after the shooting, Pancho uttered the word “Anson” to Yramis, who issued a statement to the police.
Somebody also saw Yanson inside Hernandez’s office prior to the shooting.
Alfonso Evangelista, Hernandez’s driver, said he saw Yanson as he was coming into the office with bread for their breakfast.
