Love triangle eyed as motive in killing of ex-convict in Cebu City

File photo

CEBU CITY, Philippines – Police are looking at love triangle as the possible motive in the killing of an ex-convict, whose body was found in a grassland in Sitio Upper Puti in Brgy. Buhisan, Cebu City early on Tuesday morning, August 27.

Rico Oquiño, 25, was found with hack wounds on his body.

Oquiño, a jeepney conductor, is a native of Brgy. Matab-ang in Toledo City.  He was jailed earlier for a drug-related case and is currently staying in Brgy. Buhisan with his common-law partner Jarisa Biasong.

READ: Ex-convict shot while drinking coffee at a bakery in Brgy. Tejero

Policemen at the Labangon Police Station identified Oquiño’s neighbor in Brgy. Matab-ang in Toledo City, a certain Jephosin Cantunao, as his alleged killer.

Cantunao, 30, is a construction worker.

READ: Two ex-convicts yield over P700,000 ‘shabu’ in Cebu City

In a report, Labangon police said that Cantunao was the former live-in partner of Biasong, 23. Cantunao and Biasong have a 3-year-old child.

Police said that Cantunao and Oquiño also had old grudges that resulted from jealousy.

READ:

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Earlier, Cantunao had already threatened to kill the jeepney conductor.

Hack wounds

Police Major Iraneo Regidor, chief of the Labangon Police Station, said that on Monday night, Cantunao visited Biasong’s residence in Brgy. Buhisan to give child support.  But the two started to argue, which prompted Cantunao to walkout.

A few minutes later Cantunao returned and allegedly threatened Biasong and her family and not to talk about the incident to anyone or else, he would kill them.

Oquiño and Biasong are staying with her family.

When Oquiño’s body was found with hack wounds at around 7:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Biasong could only speculate that Cantunao was the one who killed him.

Biasong told the police that the attack could have happened at around 8 p.m. on Monday, the usual time that Oquiño would come home.

Scene of the Crime Operatives (SOCO) recovered seven small sachets of suspected  shabu and cash worth P650 from the victim’s short pants.  His motorcycle was also found near his body.

As of this writing, police continue to look for Cantunao.