No new evidence to reopen case

NEW evidence is needed if any  reinvestigation is opened in the murder case of  Karen Kaye Montebon, said  the head of a police task force who declared  the case  “closed”.

“It can happen but at this point, it’s nearly impossible,” said Senior Supt. Armando Radoc,  acting Lapu-Lapu City police chief.

He said there was no  evidence that linking  Jenalyn Soon as an accessory or accomplice to the crime.

Radoc said  he expected criticism from the Commission on Human Rights and the Crusade Against Violence (CAV) when the police said the case was closed with the identification of Ruben Fernandez as a primary suspect. He  was  killed in Bohol.

CAV chairperson Thelma Chiong questioned why  Soon, the live-in partner of  Fernandez, isn’t facing charges in relation to Karen Kaye’s murder.

Senior Supt. Rey Lyndon Lawas, head of the Special Investigation Task Group  for the Montebon case,  said he directed the Getafe municipal police  in Bohol province to finish its investigation into Fernandez’s murder.

Fernandez’s remains arrived yesterday in  Olango Island, Mactan  where he will be buried.

Radoc said the Montebon family didn’t voice dissatisfaction with the investigation and were convinced that Fernandez robbed and killed Karen.

The Police Regional Office in Central Visayas (PRO-7) said it is willing to answer any queries on the case.

“I will direct (Lawas) to look into the concern of the CAV so they cannot say that the investigation is haphazard,” Chief Supt. Prudencio Bañas, PRO-7 chief, said.

He said Karen’s death was a reminder to the public to ensure that their homes are secured from criminal elements.