Moalboal, Cebu killing: Man who decapitated 75-year-old widow nabbed

A man from Moalboal town landed in jail after he allegedly decapitated and cut off the hands of an elderly woman who asked him to leave the land he built his house on. | Contributed photo via Paul Lauro

CEBU CITY, Philippines – A 36-year-old man was arrested hours after he was identified as the suspect in the killing of a 75-year-old widow in Moalboal town, Cebu on Monday, March 4, 2024.

Authorities said that Reno Tereso of Purok Malubgas was arrested near a mall in the town at past 7 p.m. that day or about 2 hours when the body of the dead woman was found and reported.

Witnesses identified Tereso, who makes a living by repairing shoes, as the culprit in the killing.

READ: Senior citizen hacked to death by nephew in Daanbantayan, Cebu

According to the Moalboal Police Station in their initial investigation, they received a report of a body of a dead woman who was hacked at past 5 p.m. that day in Purok Malubgas.

They then went to the area in Purok Malubgas where they found the body of a 75-year-old widow, who was decapitated and both her hands cut off. She was found in a grassy area and her body was covered with a tarpaulin.

She also had hack wounds in several parts of her body.

According to police, witnesses positively identified Tereso as the perpetrator in the crime.

READ: Man accused of killing nephew over land dispute in Alegria, Cebu

With the help of informants, authorities then caught up with the suspect near a mall at past 7 p.m. that day while he was attempting to escape the area.

Police Captain Claudio Gako, chief of Moalboal Police Station, said that Tereso was apprehended onboard his bicycle.

He also took with him food and his belongings as he fled.

Gako said that before the hacking incident, the victim and the suspect had an argument.

READ: Butcher hacked to death by drinking buddies in Batangas

Tereso, who is not a native of Moalboal, was reportedly living in a hut that he built himself on a land owned by the victim.

The victim’s nephew, Regalado Deniega, 54, said that Tereso was living in the area for a long time for free as permitted by his aunt.

However, he said his aunt found something she disapproved of on Tereso and asked him to leave.

When Tereso refused to leave, their conflict began which lasted for a month.

With the motive of personal grudge, Tereso ended up attacking the elderly woman who died on the spot.

Gako disclosed that there is a possibility that the suspect decapitated her and cut her hands off because of extreme anger at the moment.

He added that they had already gathered pieces of evidence against the suspect.

In addition to this, they are conducting a background check on the suspect to see if he has previous criminal records.

As of this writing, Tereso is detained at the Moalboal Police Station pending the filing of murder charges against him.

Moalboal is a fourth class municipality of the Province of Cebu. It is located some 90 kilometers southwest of Cebu City.