Lourdes Silawan plants a kiss on the photo of placed on top of the coffin of her daughter Christine Lee on he night of her wake on Sunday, March 17, 2019, hours after learning that a key suspect in her child’s gruesome murder has been arrested. |CDND Photo/Paul Lauro
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Are they now ready to bid goodbye?
Following the arrest of the 17-year-old boy tagged as the suspect on the gruesome murder of 16-year-old Christine Lee Silawan, her family has set this Sunday, March 24, as the day to lay her to rest.
Silawan’s family earlier said they wanted the culprits behind her death to fall first before they would proceed with her burial.
Christine’s burial will fall between two supposedly happy events in their family: her mother’s birthday on Saturday, March 23, and her 17th birthday on March 26.
Although they are still mourning, Lourdes Silawan, Christine’s mother, said they are relieved that at least, the wheels of justice have started to grind for her daughter.
Lourdes Silawan, mother of murdered Christine Lee, expresses relief over the arrest of a key suspect in her daughter’s killing, saying she is convinced he was the culprit but that he did not do it alone. Christine’s parent address questions from the media at the National Bureau of investigation in Central Visayas (NBI7 ) office where a press conference is held on Monday evening, March 18, 2019, to address questions regarding the arrest of the 17-year-old suspect in the murder of Christine. |CDND Photo/Tonee Despojo
However, Lourdes said she was not convinced that the suspect, believed to be Christine’s former boyfriend, did the crime alone. She said she was still hoping that THE other persons who may have a hand in the crime would also fall soon.
The suspect in Silawan’s murder was arrested by operatives of the National Bureau of Investigation in Central Visayas (NBI-7) on Saturday inside his home in a village in Barangay Maribago, Lapu-Lapu City.
A series of closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage and accounts of eyewitnesses that identified the suspect as the last person seen with the victim while walking towards the direction of the vacant lot where Christine’s dead body was found the next day were among the pieces of circumstantial evidence pointed out by the NBI against the suspect.
Victim Christine Lee Silawan and the suspect are seen walking together within the hour of her estimated time of death in this CCTV footage, taken in the evening of March 10, 2019, which was presented by the National bureau of Investigation as evidence against the suspect. |CDND screenshot/Tonee Despojo
The 17-year-old suspect (center face covered with cloth) is escorted by NBI agents at the Lapu-Lapu City Prosecutor’s Office on Monday, March 18, 2019, where a murder complaint was filed against him for the killing of Christine Lee Silawan. | CDN Digital/Tonee Despojo
READ MORE: Murder complaint filed against 17-year-old suspect in Christine Silawan killing
Lawyer Dominador Cimafranca, assistant regional director of NBI-7, said that while one suspect has been identified in their parallel investigation, the case is not considered closed as they still consider the possibility that there may be other persons who helped the suspect carry out the crime.
The police, which are conducting its own probe into Christine’s murder, have also said that the person arrested the NBI is also being looked into by the police as a possible suspect.
READ MORE: Sinas: Suspect in Silawan slay nabbed by NBI, a person of interest in police probe
The death of the ninth grader, whose mutilated body was found on March 11 in a vacant lot in Barangay Bangkal, Lapu-Lapu City, was so gruesome and appalling that it outraged the nation./elb
READ MORE: 20 stab wounds, 9 defense wounds found on slain 16-year-old Christine Lee Silawan