THERE is one thing that security guard Jessie Mediquillo failed to protect himself from—his conscience.
Mediquillo, 34, admitted killing Tesa Marie Ygay, 14, and throwing her body in a septic tank at the back of the Cogon Cruz Integrated School in Danao City last April 5.
“Nakonsensiya ko sa akong gibuhat (I was bothered by my conscience for doing it),” he told reporters in tears.
Mediquillo denied he had a relationship with the girl, but Police Regional Office 7 Director Debold Sinas said they have a witness who testified that the suspect and the girl had a May-December love affair.
The victim reportedly had another boyfriend. Her family believes this was what drove the suspect to kill in a fit of anger.
Sinas presented the suspect on Monday morning, April 15. A lawyer from the Public Attorney’s Office accompanied Mediquillo, who first surrendered to barangay officials in Tuburan town on Friday dawn, April 12.
He said he committed the crime as he was mad at Ygay’s father, Felimon Enoy, who had challenged him to a fight.
Enoy got mad at Mediquillo for shaving his daughter’s head two weeks before the murder happened.
The suspect said he shaved the girl’s head so she would not go out with her friends again.
“She went out often and her father would always ask me where she was,” he said in Bisaya.
He said he provided the girl’s family with rice because he felt sorry for them as they were poor.
According to Ygay’s older sister, Mediquillo was so in love with the victim that he threatened to kill the victim’s young boyfriend.
Jen (not her real name) said the suspect was close to her family and the latter often asked them to cook food for him.
“Gipatay man niya akong manghod, patay sad unta ni siya. Niingon man na siya nga kung mapatay daw niya akong manghod ug akong papa maghikog daw na siya (He should be dead right now after killing my sister. He said that after killing my sister and father, he would commit suicide),” she said.
Meanwhile in Lapu-Lapu City, the Lapu-Lapu City Police Office failed to convince the parents of Christine Lee Silawan to sign the affidavits against Renato Llenes, who had admitted killing her.
The girl’s parents still could not believe it was Llenes who committed the gruesome crime even if the latter successfully logged in to his three dummy Facebook accounts in front of them, the police and Mayor Paz Radaza.
Llenes said he used different names, including CJ Diaz, in courting Silawan.
Sinas said the police can file the murder complaint against Llenes without Silawan’s parents as Llenes committed a public crime.
The police official, however, admitted the complaint would be stronger if the girl’s parents were the main complainants.
He said they cannot file a complaint against Silawan’s 18-year-old former boyfriend because they do not have any evidence.
Silawan’s body was found on a vacant lot in Barangay Bankal, Lapu-Lapu City on March 11 with multiple stab wounds. Her face was skinned and her ear, tongue and throat were removed. (From AYB of SuperBalita Cebu, KAL)