THE prosecutor investigating the killing of 16-year-old Christine Lee Silawan has decided to go with the police report naming Renato Llenes as the suspect.
The murder complaint filed by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) 7 against Silawan’s 18-year-old former boyfriend, “John” (not his real name), was dismissed by the prosecutor for lack of evidence.
The naming of different suspects in the police and the NBI investigations initially created confusion for the Silawan family on who was behind the killing of Christine last March 10.
Llenes will face trial after he was indicted by the Office of the Lapu-Lapu City Prosecutor for the killing of Silawan.
Prosecutor Ruso Zaragoza found enough evidence to indict the 43-year-old father of five for murder, a non-bailable offense.
Llenes was arrested and charged by the Lapu-Lapu City Police Office (LCPO).
Zaragoza said he called the caretaker of the City Social Welfare Office of Lapu-Lapu City, telling the latter that “John” can go home now.
According to Zaragoza, the NBI 7 failed to prove that “John” was with the victim before she was found dead on a vacant lot in Sitio Mahayahay, Barangay Bankal.
As to the blood found on the shoes of “John” that reportedly matched that of the victim, Zaragoza said the result could not be admitted as evidence because the items were obtained through “illegal seizure.”
He said the NBI 7 failed to establish that “John” was the same person behind the Facebook account of CJ Diaz.
For its part, the LCPO presented seven witnesses who positively identified Llenes.
Llenes’s live-in partner and his friends said he owns the CJ Diaz and two other dummy Facebook accounts.
Llenes himself logged in on the CJ Diaz account in the presence of police investigators. (from GCM of SuperBalita Cebu/KAL)