Councilman tagged in Alcoy police chief’s slay charged
A complaint for murder was filed yesterday against the barangay councilman accused of killing the police chief of Alcoy town in southern Cebu.
Ciriaco de los Santos Jr., 56, was escorted by at least five policemen when he was brought to the Cebu Provincial Prosecutors’ Office inside the Capitol compound where the inquest proceeding was conducted.
When presented before Assistant Provincial Prosecutor Ethel Miel, de los Santos chose to undergo preliminary investigation, giving him the chance to refute the allegations.
The prosecutor gave de los Santos seven days to submit his counter-affidavit and present another evidence to prove his innocence.
De los Santos and his lawyer declined to give any statement to the media.
Miel has 15 days from yesterday to resolve the charges filed against the respondent.
If she finds enough evidence against de los Santos, charges will be elevated before the Regional Trial Court. Otherwise, the case will be dismissed.
Murder, under the law, is a non-bailable offense.
De los Santos, a former policeman who was dismissed in service in 1991 for absence without an official leave (AWOL), was accused of killing Insp. Crisanto Abella in a drinking session last Sunday evening.
Abella was shot in the head, shoulder, armpit and leg.
The slain policeman’s mother Florencia was crying during the proceedings at the prosecutors’ office.
“Hustisya ra gyud akong gipangayo. Di ko makadawat nga namatay ang akong anak. (All I want is justice. Until now, I still could not accept that my son is dead),” the 68-year-old mother told reporters.
De los Santos surrendered to the police upon the request of his family.
The respondent is the cousin of Alcoy mayor Nicomedes de los Santos.
The mayor said De los Santos was once jailed for killing a suspected thief. The respondent was eventually acquitted. He then decided to work for a cargo shipping company abroad.
De los Santos returned to the country sometime in 2000. He then joined politics and was elected a councilman for two terms.
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