AGENTS of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Mandaue Cebu District Office (Cebdo) arrested last Sunday, March 5, 2023, a man accused of killing a woman two years ago.
They identified him as 31-year-old Boyet Calzada Batoon, a former security guard who used to work for a security agency based in the northern town of Carmen, Cebu.
Regional Trial Court Branch 91 Judge Flor Amor Opon in Danao City issued the arrest warrant for murder against him.
In a press conference on Tuesday, March 7, 2023, Special Investigator 3 Agapito Gierran, executive officer for administration of NBI Cebdo, said the crime happened in Barangay Hagnaya, Carmen on the night of September 7, 2021.
He said Batoon allegedly barged into the house of 48-year-old Jennifer Cortes Cambaya and shot her in the head four times.
He said the victim’s then 12-year-old daughter witnessed the shooting and identified Batoon. Batoon was reportedly a member of the New People’s Army (NPA) and a gun-for-hire.
Gierran said that in the course of their investigation, they found out that the accused had been convicted of robbery and homicide when he was 15.
However, Republic Act 9344, or the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act of 2006, exempts a child 15 years of age or under at the time of the offense was committed from criminal liability, which is why Batoon did not serve time, he said.
Gierran said they will request a separate search warrant to look for firearms in Batoon’s house in Sitio Puti in Barangay Hagnaya, while they gather more evidence.
“The evidence hopefully would also help find the identity of his two remaining cohorts as the investigation moves forward,” said NBI Cebdo Agent-in-charge Arnel Pura.
The victim’s family believed Batoon was hired to kill the victim since they had no quarrel with him. The victim’s family said Cambaya had a feud with a neighbor involving their children.
The accused, for his part, denied killing Cambaya, saying he was sent home drunk on the night the crime happened. He also denied being a member of the NPA or working as a gun-for-hire.
The victim’s family hopes Batoon will admit to the crime and tell authorities who hired him. (HIC, PJB)