Construction worker admits to killing Rhea Mae Tocmo; girl's family questions confession, demands separate investigation

SIMEON Gabutero, who initially denied involvement in the death of 19-year-old Rhea Mae Tocmo, has now confessed to being not only her lover but also her killer.

The 22-year-old construction worker admitted in his extrajudicial confession that he killed his girlfriend on July 16, 2023, according to Major Angelito Valleser, chief of the Labangon Police Station.

Tocmo’s body was found wrapped inside a cardboard box and left on the roadside in Sitio Mohon, Barangay Tisa, Cebu City on July 17. Tisa is under the jurisdiction of the Labangon police.

Separate probe

Tocmo’s family, however, cannot accept the result of the investigation. They instead questioned Gabutero’s extrajudicial confession, and they demanded a separate investigation.

The girl’s sister, Grace Tocmo Alad-ad, posted her family’s statement on her Facebook page, which was shared on dyLA Cebu Newsbreak’s Facebook page on Thursday night, Aug. 10.

“Dili kami makadawat nga inay unta maangkon namo ang hustisya sa pagpatay ni Rhea Mae Tocmo, apan nahimo pa hinoong dautan tungod sa kwestionable nga giingong Extra-Judicial Confession ni Simeon Gabutero. Unta sa wala pa nila gipagawas ang mga pagpangangkon ni Simeon nga siya maoy nagpatay ni Rhea Mae, ila gayud untang giklaro ang tanang mga giistorya niini,” read a portion of the Tocmo family’s statement.

(We cannot accept that instead of achieving justice for the death of Rhea Mae Tocmo, it was her reputation that got tarnished due to the questionable so-called Extra-Judicial Confession of Simeon Gabutero. Before disclosing Simeon’s accusations that he was responsible for Rhea Mae’s death, they should have thoroughly clarified all aspects of his story.)

The family also questioned why the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) did not present Gabutero to the media during a press conference held at its headquarters on Gorordo Avenue after filing a murder complaint against the suspect before the city prosecutor’s office on Thursday.

“The police investigation is adding insult to our injury,” the family’s statement read.

Gabutero executed his extrajudicial confession with lawyer Franklin Manching assisting him at noon Wednesday, Aug. 9. Journalist Arnold Bustamante witnessed the confession.

In the press conference held at the CCPO headquarters on Aug. 10, Valleser divulged Gabutero’s extrajudicial confession.

Gabutero and Tocmo initially connected on Facebook, and they started their relationship on Dec. 5, 2022.

Gabutero said he had sent money to Tocmo on several occasions.

According to Valleser, one of the things that made Gabutero angry was Tocmo’s failure to inform him of her presence in Cebu.

This dispute reportedly escalated further when Gabutero learned that Tocmo had another lover, and she was allegedly a drug user.

Timeline

Before the murder took place, Gabutero had arranged to meet Tocmo at the footbridge near his residence last July 16, which was located beside Banawa Elementary School in Barangay Guadalupe.

At the footbridge, Gabutero said he noticed Tocmo was drunk. When he asked her why she had another lover, Tocmo told him that the man was just her friend.

Afterwards, they went to his rented place where Gabutero killed Tocmo inside his room. He said he was alone when he did it and nobody saw the crime.

“The room was closed and no one [else] was inside. I also [told]my mother and siblings that I [had] a visitor, and they stayed outside of my room. They never saw what [had] happened,” Gabutero said.

Gabutero said they initially had a talk inside his room, but he got mad after finding the drug paraphernalia in her bag. He then choked her by locking her neck with his arms.

Gabutero said he failed to seek help due to his panicked state at that time.

Gabutero said he bound Tocmo and wrapped her in a blanket, before placing her body inside the cardboard box.

Then he told his family that his visitor had left.

He also admitted to selling Tocmo’s cellphone for P1,700, and he dumped Tocmo’s body alone.

Insufficient evidence

Regarding the other two individuals implicated in the case, Valleser confirmed that there was insufficient evidence linking Jewel Smith to Tocmo’s murder.

The inclusion of Roberto Gabison, also known by his alias “Insik,” as a suspect was attributed to a personal feud with Gabutero.

In his extrajudicial confession, Gabutero said he made up a story involving Gabison because they were not on good terms.

Gabutero was apprehended in Sitio Sampaguita, Barangay Guadalupe, Cebu City last Saturday, July 29, after the Guadalupe police received a report about the presence of an armed person in the area.

According to an earlier report, Gabutero claimed that Gabison, his neighbor in Guadalupe, gave him the phone.

Gabison was arrested on Sunday, July 30 in a drug bust in Sitio Kabulakan, Barangay Guadalupe.