THE two neighbors who made up stories that the 14-year-old girl was shot and killed last Friday, April 26, 2024, while answering a school module inside their home in V.H. Garces, Barangay Cansojong, Talisay City, Cebu, were among those charged by the police before the prosecutor's office.
Also read: PNP tags brother in death of 14-year-old girl from Talisay
According to reports, the neighbors attempted to cover up the crime by telling the police that Jacquiline Reponte was shot when an unknown individual broke into her home.
They were charged on Monday, April 29, 2024, for obstruction of justice, according to Police Lieutenant Colonel Gerard Ace Pelare, the spokesperson for Police Regional Office Central Visayas (PRO 7) Director Brigadier General Anthony Aberin.
The offenders are close friends of the victim’s family.
“Accordingly, these are close acquaintances, mga silingan aning victim og suspect nga nakahibalo sa nahitabo then when the incident happened ningadto sila sa balay niya they were like orchestrating kung how to cover the crime, but our investigators were able to discover what they have done because naay CCTV, naa say audio recording which has been forwarded to our anti-cybercrime unit for processing,” Pelare said.
Colonel Jean Fajardo, chief information officer of the Philippine National Police, said in a press conference on Monday, April 29, 2024, that Jacquiline died by accident because one of his brothers dropped the gun from his pocket and the bullet accidentally hit his sister, who was lying down during that time.
She said the teenager’s father hid the unregistered revolver firearm involved in the incident.
The firearm has already been recovered and has been subjected to ballistics examination.
The Talisay City Police Station obtained a copy of the CCTV recordings that lack a video, but the offenders can be heard in the audio making up a plan so that they will not be held accountable for the incident.
The audio recording is now in the custody of the PNP Regional Anti-Cyber Crime Unit 7.
The owner of the firearm was also charged with two counts of illegal possession of firearms and reckless imprudence resulting in homicide.
Fajardo said the brother suspect was earlier involved in illegal drugs. (AYB, TPT)