Wednesday, July 25, 2007 Hired killers behind bizwoman's slay
HIRED killers, not plain robbers, were responsible for the death of a businesswoman in Davao City on Sunday.
This was the preliminary finding in the ongoing investigation conducted by the police on the death of Letecia Relampagos Palaruan who was shot dead by three killers at around 12:05 a.m. on July 22 in front of her house on 516 Manga Street, Juna Subdivision in Matina.
Talomo police chief Matthew Baccay said they already have a cartographic sketch of one of the suspects who is said to be a known hired killer from Tagum City.
"Palabas lang yung holdup (the holdup was all a show)," Baccay said.
Palaruan's friend, Nene Abijar, earlier told Sun.Star Davao the victim was forewarned of the plot to kill the two of them.
Abijar, common-law-wife of the late Monkayo mayor Joel "JB" Brillantes, said Palaruan even sent her a text message from the so-called hired killers out to harm them a day before she was killed.
"Ma'm sige text, hawa sa daw ko sa Davao para dili daw ko madamay. Kay ila gyud daw ka (Abijar) tirahon. Ma'm kung makipagstorya sya, duda ko si Bernard ila gi-hire pero gi-package pati ako. Luoy lang daw sya sa ako mao iya ko gipahibalo na lakaw una daw ko. Mura man tinuod na ni Ma'm oi. Wala sya ask kwarta, lakaw lang sa daw ko para dili ko madamay. Kay apilon gyud daw ko (Ma'am, he keeps on texting telling me to leave Davao because I might get involved because they really intend to kill you. Ma'am, if the man approaches you, I believe it was Bernard whom they hired, and that I was included in the assassination plan in some sort of a package deal. He said he just pities me that's why he warned me to leave. His warning sounds real. He didn't ask for any money, all he said was that I have to leave so that I will not be involved because they also intend to kill me)," was Palaruan's text message to Abijar.
Though not accusing anyone, Abijar said she has no other enemies but the family of her late husband.
It was learned that Palaruan was involved in many of the charges and counter-charges between Abijar and the Brillantes family.
The two families are still locked in legal battles over the properties left by JB reportedly worth several millions of pesos.
Baccay said they are still digging deeper on the case and that murder charges will be filed against the suspects anytime soon. (BOT)
