MASANTOL -- The gruesome death of a 65-year-old woman from this town may be given justice after police arrested the suspect in the killing.
About a week ago, businesswoman Alicia Yumang Dela Cruz, who was into buying and selling of lots, was found lifeless with 19 stab wounds around her body, mostly on her arm, by her family inside her room in Barangay Sua here.
It was also disclosed that the victim's laptop went missing after the crime.
Upon learning of the case, local police here headed by Major Elias Tait, immediately launched an investigation to identify the culprit in the crime.
During the second day of investigation, Tait said a witness came forward and identified a man who could be the prime suspect.
"According to our witness, she saw this man come inside the victim's house and a commotion was heard a few minutes after," the chief of police said.
The said man was later identified by police to be one 35-year-old Arnel Viray, a neighbor of the victim who is now the primary suspect in the crime.
Tait said the suspect was close to the victim as he was always asked to assist her in operating her gadgets.
The said information was confirmed to SunStar Pampanga by the suspect when he was presented to Mayor Danilo Guintu, but asserted that his entry at the victim's residence is allegedly “not unusual and must not be considered dubious. “
Viray also admitted that the victim's laptop was in his possession but only because he was asked to edit the videos for her vlogs.
Tait, however, said that a background check of the suspect showed alleged several crimes attributed to him in the past, including a theft case in a Macabebe village.
Tait said Viray was already charged with murder and is in the custody of the local police.
Guintu, for his part, lauded the "swift and comprehensive" investigation of the local police which led to the immediate arrest of the suspect.
"This has been the most disturbing crime committed in Masantol in the past years and I cannot let a murderer freely roam around our town and threaten my constituents," he said.