‘Case solved’: Neca Denise Lagria strangled to death after fighting attacker

Neca Denise Lagria, 22, was brutally killed and dumped into the sea after she bit the tongue of a jeepney driver who forcefully kissed her. | Contributed Photos

CEBU CITY, Philippines – Mr. Lagria* watched as his youngest daughter, Neca Denise Lagria, rode a jeepney that would take her to work around 3 a.m. last Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024.

Neca Denise, 22, worked as a cashier in Mandaue City. But she had to wake up before dawn because her family lived in Brgy. Yati, Liloan, which is a town away from Mandaue City.

But unbeknownst to Mr. Lagria, that would be the last time he would see his daughter alive.

On the same day, Neca Denise was found dead, her body dumped along the seawall in South Road Properties (SRP) in Cebu City, a few kilometers south of her workplace in Mandaue City.

At first, questions and mysteries swirling around the young woman’s gruesome death gripped Cebu. But within a span of 48 hours, police here managed to arrest the suspect, and consider it ‘case solved.’

Neca Denise died due to strangulation after she fought off the driver who forcefully kissed her.

The suspect, identified as Godofredo Quiloan Brufal, 35, was the same driver of the jeep that was supposed to take her to work.

Brufal, who remained under police custody, will face complaints for homicide and theft. Police also said he may be charged for rape with homicide or robbery with homicide.

In addition, the suspect had already been involved in at least eight crimes, including charges for acts of lasciviousness, police said.

What happened to Nica Denise Lagria?

Brufal admitted to killing the 22-year-old victim, according to police.

The suspect told authorities that he drove for a while until the only passenger left in his vehicle was the young woman. 

When they were left alone, Brufal reportedly attempted to take advantage and kissed the woman.

But Neca Denise, who got mad, fought against Bropal and bit off half of his tongue during the attack.

Angered by this, Brufal then strangled her until she stopped breathing. During a press conference on Thursday, Nov. 21,  he admitted that he strangled Neca Denise because she bit off his tongue when he kissed her.

The suspect, Godofredo Quiloan Brufal, has admitted to killing Neca Denise Lagria after he tried to kiss her inside the jeepney. Bropal has expressed feeling regretful for his actions and apologized to the victim’s family. | CDN Photo/ Emmariel Ares

Bropal then changed his course to Cebu City and headed for the seawall in SRP, where he dragged the woman’s dead body and dumped it into the water.

While he admitted to finding the woman pretty, Brufal denied having romantic feelings for Neca Denise. He added that he had no intention to kill Nica Denise.

He also claimed that she wanted to be dropped off far from the restaurant where she worked and planned to get another ride. 

In the aftermath of the crime, Brufal returned the jeepney and went back to his hometown in San Remigio. He even made a stop Bogo District Hospital to get his tongue treated. His alibi was that he was a victim of a robbery.

How CCTV helped solve Nica Denise’s murder

The police here were able to track down Bropal with the help of surveillance footage and closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras.

Mambaling police chief Police Major Efren Diaz Jr. said that they recovered CCTV footages, helping them trace the vehicle that was first mentioned by witnesses.

Through the videos, they found out it was a public jeepney and that it traversed around SRP at the time of the incident, including the specific spot where Neca Denise’s body was found.

Through the follow up investigation, they identified and intercepted the jeepney in Consolacion town on Wednesday afternoon, Nov. 20.

The driver, identified as Jason Cullamat, was promptly arrested as he was also found in possession of suspected shabu.

During the interrogation, Cullamat revealed that his uncle, Brufal, was the person who used his jeepney on Tuesday.

He reportedly rented it to Brufal, while he stayed in Barili town from Saturday until Wednesday.

With this information, police went to Brufal’s house in San Remigio and arrested him at around 1:00 a.m. on Thursday.

Responding officers had to subdue Bropal who tried to run from them. As a result, he sustained injuries on his face and feet.

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Brufal was taken into custody and police found the victim’s mobile phone and shoes inside his house. They also seized a .38 revolver from the suspect’s possession.

With Cullamot being taken off the list of suspects, Brufal was named as the primary and sole suspect responsible for the victim’s death.

However, Cullamot will still be facing separate charges for the confiscated drugs. Police will also continue probing whether he is involved in the crime or not. 

Suspect had previous cases, including complaint for acts of lasciviousness

According to Brufal, he was out of his mind at the time and did not think to confess what happened to the authorities.

When confronted by Lagria’s family, he expressed his regret and apologized for killing the victim.

The arrested suspect was released from prison only recently, according to Diaz.

Brufal was allegedly previously involved in eight other crimes, which included a complaint for acts of lasciviousness. 

He also admitted to being a former drug user. But he insisted that he was not under the influence of illegal drugs or alcohol during the incident.

As of this writing, Brufal is detained at the custodial facility of the Mambaling Police Station.

Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) director Police Colonel Antonietto Cañete stated that they are probing which charges they will be filing against the suspect.

He revealed that based on the results of the examination of the victim’s cadaver, the charges would either be rape with homicide, homicide and theft, or robbery with homicide.

Police will also be waiting on the results of the autopsy examination on Lagria’s body and the testing of the blood found on the jeepney where she was killed. 

Cebu City Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia, who also attended the press conference on Thursday, commended the Mambaling police for solving the case in just a few days.

Garcia expressed his condolences and personally handed over financial assistance to the bereaved family. / mme

*CDN Digital has opted not to reveal the first names of Neca Denise’s immediate family members to respect their privacy and time for grieving.