CEBU CITY, Philippines — The man wanted for shooting to death a woman in Compostela town, northern Cebu surrendered to the police on Monday evening, March 14, 2022.
Police Lieutenant Samuel Negro, chief of the Compostela Police Station, said that Anthony Ternate, 40, signed an extra judicial confession, admitting being the sole perpetrator of the crime that happened in Barangay Canamucan on Monday morning.
“Nisurrender ni sya kay amo man gyud gi aresto ang iyang asawa. So pagkahibaw niya, mao toy usa sa rason nga nakapa surrender niya,” Negro said.
(He surrendered because we arrested his wife. So when he knew about that, it led him to decide to surrender.)
Ternate is the suspect in the killing of Niña Cadungog, a neighbor who reportedly got into a heated argument with his wife, Madelyn, over the placement of a pot of plant on a walkway.
Cadungog was shot three times in different parts of her body and died on the spot.
Ternate went into hiding after the crime while his wife was arrested.
Negro said that they considered Madelyn as an ‘accessory’ to the crime after she allegedly did not stop Anthony from shooting Cadungog.
However, with Anthony’s extra judicial confession, Negro said that Madelyn will undergo an inquest proceeding on Tuesday, March 15, and might be ‘dismissed’ from the case.
Negro said that they were not immediately able to find the husband during a hot-pursuit operation as it was later found out that he was hiding in a mountain area of the village.
Police asked help from Canamucan barangay captain Ernie Lawas and the suspect’s friends to encourage Anthony to surrender.
Around 7 p.m. on Monday, March 14, Anthony surrendered as he was accompanied by Lawas.
However, Negro said that they have yet to recover the .357 revolver the suspect used in shooting the victim.
The suspect is currently detained at the Compostela Police Station and will be facing murder charges.
/bmjo