DAVAO CITY – Police authorities identified a businesswoman as an important link in the investigation into the June 12 murder of Cebu hotelier Richard King here.
Supt. Aaron Aquino, deputy chief of the Southern Mindanao police office, yesterday told reporters that the woman was the business partner of King in his Vital – C health products business in Davao.
He said she may have knowledge of the King-slay plot based on text messages where she was mentioned in four cell phones owned by King and the phone of her secretary, Leah Caballes.
Caballes had earlier surrendered her mobile phone to the police but her female boss has not yet done so.
“Lumalabas sa kanilang CP na may linkage sila sa kaso,” Aquino said of the messages found on Caballes’ phone.
Seriously ill
The businesswoman was not described as a suspect.
Police officials in Camp Crame earlier said “business and hatred” were the motive of the murder and that investigators were still building a case against the mastermind.
From other police sources, Cebu Daily News learned that the businesswoman was seriously ill and has cooperated with investigators.
She gave a sworn statement about financial irregularities that she had asked King to look into on her behalf regarding a construction firm in Davao.
A press statement from Camp Crame said “Investigators took note of internal conflicts within the victim’s business ventures, particularly over the alleged mismanagement of one of his co-owned companies that has resulted in losses estimated at P150-million.” Murder charges were filed last week against a self-confessed gunman and two accom plices, as well as a police intelligence official Supt. Leonardo Felonia.
A “lookout bulletin” was filed with the Bureau of Immigration against Felonia, who was identified by the alleged gunman as the one who hired them for P120,000 to kill King.
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