Father was playing with fave son before gunfire rang out
Francis James Villamor was playing in the neighborhood basketball court in barangay San Vicente Proper in Liloan town at around 2pm Sunday when his father, Fretz, came and fetched him.
Fretz, 37 bought the 5-year-old boy a bottled tea drink from a local convenience (sari-sari) store before they went home.
That was the last time father and son were seen alive, said the boy’s uncle, Richard Cabasan.
At around 4pm, gunfire rang out from their residence and both ended up dead.
Police ruled the case a parricide and a suicide.
SPO3 Marcelino Servilla, the homicide investigator handing the case, said Fretz used a “paltik” (locally crafted) 9mm pistol in shooting his son in the head before he turned the gun on himself and shot himself in the left temple.
Relatives of the victims rushed the boy to the Eversly Child Sanitarium in Mandaue City where he was pronounced dead.
Police theorized that Fretz, a government employee, went berserk after he allegedly got saddled with financial and personal problems, including alleged addiction to illegal drugs. A half-empty bottle of rhum was also found in the crime scene.
“Sa nakuha nato nga hinungdan para mabuhat to niya tungod sa iyang pagkatawo, problema sa magtiayon, problema sa pamilya, problema sa ilang financial ug sa iyang bisyo”, Servilla said.
(Based on our initial investigation, he did this because of his personality, problem with his wife, family, finance and his vices.)
Investigators said, Fretz and his wife Cherly had a heated argument last week. He reportedly used the same gun used in Sunday’s killing in threatening his wife which forced her to leave their house with five of her children, the victim Francis James included.
According to Fretz’s cousin, Niño Pilapil, he was walking towards the house when he heard a gunshot.
“Duol na siya sa balay, nadunggan niya ang Papa naghilak, nagdungoyngoy, pagka-human mibuto na sab og balik,” police investigator Servilla quoted Pilapil saying.
(He was near the house when he heard the father weeping then another gunshot rang out.)
Pilapil did not immediately rush into the house as he was afraid that more shots could be fired.
Police recovered the gun, two slugs, two empty shells and one misfired bullet.
The gun was recovered near the left hand of Villamor who was reportedly left-handed.
A toy car was found near the spot where the child slumped.
“Naghagwa-hagwa pa siguro sila kay naa may gamay nga toy car sa may banig diin sila nakit-an nga naghigda na”, Servilla said.
(They could probably be even playing because there was a toy car on the mat where they were seen bloodied.)
The child’s uncle, Richard Cabasan, said Fretz was fond of his son, his second with his wife, Cherly. She has two children from a previous relationship, relatives of the couple told Cebu Daily News.
“Kung unsay ganahan nga pagkaon sa bata, iya jud nang paliton. Ug mag-trabaho sad siya, iya sad ning dad-on ang bata,” he said.
(He’d buy whatever his son would like to eat. He even brings his son along when he goes to work.)
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