POLICE arrested yesterday the two suspects allegedly involved in the killing of a high school teacher in Barangay Cansaga, Consolacion town, northern Cebu.
According to PO1 Socrates Borinaga of the Consolacion Police Station, Joshua Ybañez, 20, killed Jerome “Joey” Batuigas, 28, by stabbing him on his right shoulder. The victim’s lifeless body was later found floating in a creek at the back of a mall in Barangay Lamac on Monday, November 14, at 10 a.m.
Ybañez admitted to the police that he stabbed the teacher and tossed his body to a nearby creek with the help of his 16-year-old companion Anthony (not his real name).
Ybañez and his companion were arrested at Purok 8 in Cansaga yesterday.
They were identified by a witness as the last persons seen with the victim.
His brother Herald was looking for him last Sunday evening after he failed to return home, prompting Herald to report the incident to the police.
Herald narrated to the police that his brother was gay. Jerome was a teacher at the Pilar National High School in Camotes.
Police investigation revealed that the teacher wanted to have sex with Ybañez, but the latter requested for a fee in return. Batuigas told the suspect he didn’t have enough money, so Ybañez asked for his cell phone instead.
But Batuigas did not yield to the suspect’s request, prompting Ybañez to stab the teacher on his right shoulder.
Police recovered the victim’s mobile phone worth P700 from Ybañez.
The suspects are now detained at the Consolacion Police Station pending the filing of charges.