Saturday, August 21, 2004 Cousin, 2 uncles tagged in rape-slay of sisters By Mia E. Abellana
CEBU CITY -- After scouring the mountains for three days, police arrested the 16-year-old boy suspected of raping and killing his two younger cousins in Sitio Napo, Barangay Sta. Ana, Barili, Cebu.
But he did not act alone.
Ariel (real name withheld) admitted his part in the crime, but claimed that he was under the guidance of his two uncles.
Cousins Ricardo Seletona, 34, and Efren Seletona, 31, who are also uncles of Ma. Mae, 4, and Analyn Jaroy, 13, were also arrested early Friday morning.
Tired of living on coconuts and guavas in the forest of Barangay San Rafael, Ariel said he went home to Sitio Napo because he longed for rice.
At the same time, Barili Police Chief Ernesto Yongco and his father were in the house.
Ariel said he had planned to continue hiding after eating, but his father convinced him to surrender to the police. He added that he even heard his father and Yongco calling out to him, but he chose to hide among the bushes.
Drug tests
The arrest coincided with a report from Divinagracia Cawiling of the Barili Rural Health Center that three different types of semen were found on the two girls.
Cawiling conducted the autopsy.
Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia wants the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to help the Cebu Provincial Police Office (CPPO) nail the three suspects.
Aside from the Capitol's burial assistance for the victims' family, Garcia also shelled out personal funds Friday for the drug test of the three suspects because the PNP does not have the cash for it.
"This is a case of the local government, NBI and CPPO working hand in hand. First in the speedy arrest of the suspects and in the aftermath of the arrest, which is the preparation of the formal complaint. I directed all of them to file first thing by Monday," said Garcia.
NBI 7 Director Reynaldo Esmeralda sent three agents Friday to the CPPO, where the suspects were presented to the media.
Garcia said an NBI lawyer will help policemen make sure that proper procedures are followed, so the case will not be dismissed due to a technicality.
He squealed
Yongco said that at first, Ariel denied he had companions and claimed he acted on his own.
Later on, he said he did not recognize his companions because they covered their faces.
After Yongco told him that he would face the consequences alone if he did not tell them who his companions were, Ariel pointed to his uncles.
At 3 p.m. last Sunday, Ariel said he ran into his uncles, who told him they were going to slaughter a dog in his uncle Justino's house.
Justino is the father of the two girls.
Ariel went with his uncles. When they saw Analyn outside washing clothes, he said he was shocked when Ricardo suddenly grabbed an iron bar and whacked Analyn's head.
Unconscious, she was dragged 75 meters away from the house, where Efren and Ricardo allegedly took turns raping her.
Just as she was about to regain consciousness, Ricardo allegedly took Ariel's knife and then began stabbing her.
Home alone
He then told Ariel that if he did not join them in stabbing Analyn, they would stab him instead.
Out of fear, Ariel jabbed the knife twice against Analyn's body.
After that, Efren then allegedly went back to the house and took Ma. Mae, who was playing alone in the house.
After Efren raped her, Ariel admitted that he also abused his cousin before she was killed.
After admitting to the crime, Ariel led police to the house where Ricardo lived.
He was arrested in Sitio Napo at 3 a.m. Friday.
He admitted raping Analyn, but he said it was Efren who whacked her in the head.
Afterwards, police proceeded to Barangay Lorega in Cebu City to arrest Efren, who was staying with a relative.
While Ricardo admitted that he participated in the killing, Efren denied everything.
"Diri ra ko sa Lorega anang adlawa. Nasuko ra siya (Ariel) nako kay sige nako kulatahon. Dili man gud na siya mupatuo sa iyang mama (I was in Lorega the whole day. Ariel is mad at me because I often beat him up for disobeying his mother)," Efren said.
Psych test
The background check conducted by intelligence operatives revealed that Ariel always carried a double-bladed knife with him, the same one used in the crime.
Ariel said this belonged to his grandmother and that he was going to return it before he ran into his uncles.
When police invited Ariel along with three others for questioning about the killing, only Ariel failed to appear.
He told his grandmother that he was going to use the bathroom and then fled. His clothes, with what appeared to be bloodstains, were found in his grandmother's house.
This led police to believe he was the one behind the slaying.
If not for his confession, Yongco said they would have no evidence to link the two others to the crime.
But chief investigator SPO2 Jose Obtima said they are not through with their investigation.
They want a psychiatrist to determine if Ricardo is mentally stable because his behavior at the police station after his arrest was questionable.
As the townsfolk crowded around the police station and vented their anger at the three suspects, Ricardo reportedly jumped up and down and made faces at the crowd.
Police investigators are preparing charges of double murder and rape against the three relatives. (MEA/JPM)
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