Wednesday, January 03, 2007 Housemaid ‘leaps’ to death from condo’s 9th floor
A 42-YEAR-OLD housemaid was found dead in Nivel Hills, Barangay Lahug, Cebu City on New Year’s Day, one of four persons who died in Cebu during the yearend holidays.
Whether Juanita Jayme committed suicide or was pushed to her death, the Homicide Section is still trying to find out.
In Cordova, a man was on his way to buy ice when he was shot in the head from behind. Mario Onglao, 50, died as a result of the attack that occurred at 7:30 p.m. last New Year’s Eve in Barangay San Miguel.
Also on New Year’s Eve, Filipino-American Reynaldo Angus died from a gunshot wound past 6 p.m. in the northern Cebu town of Daanbantayan.
Angus was visiting the house of his brother-in-law, SPO4 Reynaldo Garbo, and was drinking with three others, identified as Ryan Caparoso, Wenceslao Misa and a certain Tata, when they began to argue.
SPO1 Nero Mansanares said that during the course of the argument, Angus reportedly beat Misa up, which provoked the shooting.
Angus died on the spot after he was shot in the chest.
Policemen arrested Caparoso, who denied the accusation. He said it was possible that one of the two men, who are now at large, did it.
On New Year’s Day in Lapu-Lapu City, 31-year-old Enrique Abing died from a stab wound in the lower abdomen.
Abing and suspect Jerry Aying were having a drinking session at the Mactan Shrine around 1:30 a.m. when they got into an argument.
The suspect allegedly pulled out a knife and lunged at the victim.
Aying then fled, while bystanders rushed Abing to the hospital. He died on the way.
Like the suspect, the victim was a resident of Mactan.
Letter, dog
In the Nivel Hills case, the authorities reported that Jayme, who hailed from Barangay Corazon, Catmon, Cebu, had worked as a housemaid for American national Collette Goldstein for 17 years.
She was found at 12:15 a.m. Monday by security guard Cristulo Desucalan. Her body was in a grassy area at the vicinity of City Lights Garden Condominium on Veterans’ Drive, Nivel Hills.
Goldstein was out of town and could not be reached for comment.
Jayme suffered severe fractures in her body and head. She was believed to have fallen from the ninth floor of the 14-story building where her employer lives.
Homicide investigators led by SPO2 Desiderio Mendaros found near Jayme’s body her dead white dog and an unsigned letter with what appeared to be her penmanship. Attached to the letter were 11 P500 bills and two P1,000 bills.
Desucalan found the body after some condominium occupants told him they saw a woman lying on the ground.
Mendaros said they also found some of Jayme’s medical records.
An autopsy will be conducted.
Dance, drink
Also on New Year’s Day, two brothers were shot, while two other siblings were stabbed in separate incidents in Cebu City.
The shooting victims, who came from a dance, were identified as Niel, 22, and Don Serata, 25, of Villagonzalo St. in Barangay Tinago.
Niel was shot in his arm, while Don was injured in the back.
An unidentified gunman attacked them at 5 a.m. Monday, and they ended up spending the first day of the year at the government-operated Cebu City Medical Center.
Marvel Cantilla, the victims’ cousin, said that the two were on their way home when attacked.
In a separate incident, brothers Roel, 37, and Rodulfo Tuñacao, 42, of Barangay Lower Carreta, were also treated at the city hospital for stab wounds.
The victims identified the perpetrator as Danilo Fernandez.
They told homicide investigators that they were drinking at 11 p.m. Sunday, New Year’s Eve, when Fernandez passed by.
They invited Fernandez for a drink, but instead of accepting their invitation, the latter allegedly attack them. Investigators have yet to confirm this accusation, as well as the motive for the attack.
Shabu, salt
Later that day, at 5 p.m., Satur Ybañez, 45, was sitting in his porch in Barangay Babag, Lapu-Lapu City, when Eduardo Bering suddenly appeared from behind him and allegedly stabbed him in the side.
While Bering escaped, a bleeding Ybañez managed to run to his brother’s house.
Neighbors and barangay tanods went after Bering and finally cornered him, just as responding policemen arrived.
Bering is now in police custody.
The suspect told Sun.Star Cebu that he went to Ybañez’s house to buy shabu. When the latter gave him salt instead of the drug, Bering said he became furious and stabbed the latter.
Ybañez, who is now recuperating in a hospital, denied he sold drugs. Instead, he said Bering always runs amok, attacking anybody, when he suffers from seizures.
Last March 18, police arrested Ybañez after they recovered drugs during a raid in his house. The court has yet to resolve his case. (JST/OCP/MEA)
