Murder charges filed against cop official for King murder

Senior Supt. Leonardo Felonia listens intently as Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte explains to the press that the police official surrendered to him on Monday after his name was implicated to the King murder case. (Karlos Manlupig/Inquirer Mindanao)

MURDER charges were filed by the Davao City police against Senior Supt. Leonardo Felonia in relation to the June 12 murder of Cebu hotelier Richard King in Davao City.

The filing of the complaint against Felonia came shortly after the National Bureau of Investigation announced it had no reason to hold him in custody.

Felonia was briefly placed under the custody of Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte last Monday who then turned him over to the National Bureau of Investigation. But just before the close of office, Tuesday, the police in Southern Mindanao filed formal charges against Felonia.

“I’m not an investigator,” Duterte said of his decision to turn over Felonia to the NBI. Regional Director Dante Gierran of the NBI-Southern Mindanao said Felonia earlier submitted himself for investigation even if no charges were filed against him.

He said he was uncertain whether Felonia reported back to office.

Gierran said Felonia showed him a text message from Camp Crame, which said the police officer was temporarily relieved of his duties as chief of the police’s Regional Intelligence Unit for Southern Mindanao.He was once assigned in Mandaue City, Cebu.

Gierran said his office sent a letter to the prosecutor’s office to furnish the NBI with the copies of the documents on the police’s findings of King’s killing.

Felonia was dragged into the King murder case when he was identified by one of the suspects as the same police officer, who allegedly ordered the businessman’s murder killing.

Rommel dela Cerna, 39, who surrendered to the police last Sunday, said Paul Dave Labang, the alleged gunman, was called by Felonia early on June 12 and ordered to look for a businessman in Barrio Obrero.

The police said even with the arrest of the three suspects, the King murder is not yet closed.

Authorities said they were still trying to determine the identity of the mastermind and the motive.

The identities of the suspects in the King murder case were withheld by the police who placed hats over their heads as they were led to inquest proceedings last Tuesday.

Last Tuesday afternoon Senior Supt. Vicente Danao, Davao City police chief, arrived at the Hall of Justice here with an assault rifle and accompanied by a police SWAT team.

Danao said he went there to help secure the anticipated arrival of the suspects and their families at the court. He said the families of the accused approached him after they were harassed by men in motorcycles.

“The men tailed the mother in law of one of the suspects last night. They were also looking for the brother of Labang and asked if they already had lawyers,” Danao said.

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