Garma: Hamada case closed; gunman, mastermind unmasked
THE police has claimed to have identified the mastermind and the triggerman of the August 24 killing of a Japanese businesswoman in Cebu City.
With this development, Senior Supt. Royina Garma said that she considered the case of the killing of Junko Hamada as closed.
“Definitely with the presence of the witness and the admission of the participation of one of the suspects, the killing of the Japanese national is now considered as closed.
We will file a case against the triggerman and the mastermind,” said Garma.
Garma said that they got their break last Sept. 21 after two drug suspects caught in a buy-bust operation in Barangay Tisa, admitted during a police interrogation of having knowledge in the killing of Hamada.
The suspect, Alfie Fernandez, allegedly admitted to police that he knew the triggerman in the Hamada attack.
His cousin, Mary Jane Aguilar, who was also arrested during the Tisa operation, also admitted that she was there during the attack of Hamada.
Aguilar claimed that she was the backrider of the motorcycle driven allegedly by her boyfriend, the triggerman in the attack.
Garma said that Aguilar, who had long hair, was probably the one described by witnesses as a backrider with long hair.
Garma said they were withholding the identity of the alleged triggerman as a followup operation was being conducted to arrest him.
Garma said that Fernandez admitted that he overheard the triggerman talking with the mastermind of the crime, whom Fernandez identified as allegedly the husband of the victim.
Fernandez allegedly claimed that he overheard the phone conversation since his cousin and her boyfriend were staying at his home a few hours before the attack.
“She (Aguilar) was with the triggerman in one motorcycle. While he (Fernandez) said that he heard the boyfriend of Aguilar who was the triggerman talking to the husband of the victim about the plan to kill the woman,” said Garma.
Garma said that the husband was in Japan.
Last Aug. 24, Hamada, a female Japanese national, was gunned down by two unidentified assailants, who were on a motorcycle, while she was cruising along N. Bacalso Ave in Cebu City on her Mitsubishi Montero Sport.
The Japanese businesswoman died on the spot after she suffered three gunshot wounds on different parts of her body.
During interrogation, Garma said the drug suspects suddenly admitted knowledge in the Hamada killing.
“Despite (this admission), we reminded them that they have the right to remain silent, but they still wanted to tell the truth. So I advised our station commander to bring them to the PAO (Public Attorney’s Office) to secure their affidavits,” said Garma.
Garma said that they already had the affidavits of Fernandez and Aguilar.
Garma also said that they were looking into personal grudge as the motive in the killing.
Disclaimer: The comments uploaded on this site do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of management and owner of Cebudailynews. We reserve the right to exclude comments that we deem to be inconsistent with our editorial standards.
