Wednesday, August 08, 2007 Police presents different version on frustrated homicide case By Ruby P. Silubrico and Jay Dooma Balnig
AUTHORITIES bring out a different version on the frustrated homicide case on Estrella brothers who was said to have gun-down a tanod member in a heated argument last Monday in an abandoned house foreclosed by the Queen City Development Bank in Sitio Dapdap, General Hughes, Iloilo City.
Punong Barangay Jeboy Jalandoni said that Ernie and his elder brother Ernesto Estrella were spotted by the said three tanods of attempting to steal valuables inside the abandoned house.
Jalandoni further said that said tanods, Freddie Pachecoy, 39, Robert Torre, 33 and Feliciano Taquian, 54 are not aware that the suspects were armed with .38 caliber revolver when they confronted them.
Later, four gunshots were heard by the residents suspected to have come from the brothers.
Earlier, another version by an anonymous investigator of the Task Force Waterfront said that prior to the incident, the Estrella brothers approached Tanod members and started a heated argument which resulted in a rumble with, Pachecoy and Torre, who were gathering some scrap materials in an abandoned house.
Taquian tried to calm down but the younger Estrella got his caliber .38 revolver and shot Torre, then Pachecoy
The victim, Barangay Tanod member, Freddie Pachecoy, 39 died 30 minutes after an operation for his gunshot wound on his right chest. Declared safe by attending physician are Tanod member, Robert Torre, 33, also hit in the chest and Tanod Commander, Feliciano Taquian, 54, with a gunshot wound in his left shoulder.
The Estrella brothers are now charged with homicide and frustrated homicide with the use of unlicensed firearm. The elder Estrella was included in the charge sheet for being the accessory of the crime, though his younger brother admitted shooting of the victims.
Police authorities are now investigating on the real robbers.
