Police have arrested Amelita Tero, who was the suspect in the killing of a 46-year-old businessman in the town of Consolacion in northern Cebu. | Photo courtesy Consolacion Police
MANDAUE CITY, Cebu — Police have arrested the female suspect in the killing of a 46-year-old businessman inside the motel in the town of Consolacion in northern Cebu last Thursday, October 28, 2021.
Police Chief Master Sergeant Brent Fulmaran, investigator-on-case of the Consolacion Police Station, said they arrested Amelita Tero, 38, married, whom they identified as the suspect behind the killing of Teddy Manhilot, a married resident of Barangay Lamac in the northern Cebu town.
Fulmaran said Tero, who was allegedly having a relationship with Manhilot, was arrested inside her home in Barangay Pitogo, Consolacion town at past 10 a.m. on Saturday, October 30, or two days after the shooting incident.
Tero denied killing the victim and told police that the victim allegedly shot himself in the head with his own gun as they argued inside the motel room.
But Fulmaran said that he would let the court decide if it was a suicide or a murder because what they had against the suspect were circumstantial evidence.
“Ang suicide nga account sa suspect nato, defense na na niya sa korte. Di man ta pwede mogamit og testimony sa suspect, so bahala na na siya unsaon pagconvince ang fiscal or judge nga suicide ang motive,” said Fulmaran.
(The suicide account that’s on the suspect, that will be her defense in court. We cannot use the testimony of the suspect, so it will be up to her to convince the fiscal or judge that suicide was the motive.)
“Basta sa police nga side magrely ra mi sa amoang witness which is circumstancial evidence. Mao na akong basis sa kaso nga efile,” he said.
(For the police, on our side, we will rely on our witness, which is circumstantial evidence. That is our basis in filing the case.)
Initial investigation showed that Tero allegedly shot the victim after a heated argument with Manhilot inside the motel in Barangay Tilhaong at past 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, October 28.
Manhilot was rushed to the hospital for treatment, but he later died due to the gunshot wound in his head.
Fulmaran said that footage from security cameras of the motel helped in identifying the suspect.
The investigator said that apart from the closed-circuit television footage near the crime scene that showed Tero fleeing the area, they were also able to connect the evidence with the photo of the suspect which was given by Manhilot’s wife.
Fulmaran said Tero denied killing Manhilot, stressing that the latter committed suicide using his own caliber .45 pistol due to some problems.
The suspect was detained at the town’s police station and would be facing a murder case for the incident.
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