Naga, Cebu stabbing: Father, son killed at home; mother survives
CEBU CITY, Philippines — A father and son were stabbed to death inside their home in the City of Naga, Cebu before dawn on Sunday, May 10. The mother survived after trying to stop the attacker who allegedly entered their house as they slept.
Police identified the fatalities as a 59-year-old father and his 21-year-old son, both residents of Purok Eskwelahan in Barangay Inayagan.
The victims’ wife and mother, a 49-year-old woman, sustained multiple stab wounds after reportedly attempting to shield her grandchild and stop the suspect.
READ: Stabbing in Naga City, Cebu injures man; suspect on the run
Victims attacked inside house
According to the City of Naga Police Station, the stabbing incident happened around 2:40 a.m.
Police identified the arrested suspect as a 28-year-old male resident of the same barangay.
Investigators are currently focused on obtaining witness statements and establishing the background of the incident, Police Master Sgt. Ariel G. Yap said in an interview on Monday, May 11.
READ: Tuburan disco stabbing: Murder raps filed vs suspect
Yap said the suspect allegedly went inside the victims’ residence while the family members were asleep.
According to the police officer, initial examination showed that the stab wounds sustained by the father and son were concentrated in their chests.
Yap said the father sustained around three visible stab wounds, while the son sustained around two, although authorities are still waiting for the official autopsy findings to determine the exact number.
“Sa visual nga amoang nakita didto, tulo sa amahan, duha sa anak,” he said.
Mother injured
Police said the surviving mother sustained multiple wounds, most of them located on her back.
Yap said investigators were able to interview the injured woman, who told police she attempted to stop the suspect after waking up during the attack.
According to Yap, the woman tried to intervene after seeing the suspect repeatedly stabbing the victims.
He added that she also positioned herself in front of the suspect to protect her grandchild from being harmed.
“Pagkita niya, nibangon siya. Gibadlong niya ang suspect, ang suspect wa man naminaw niya, sige pa man og dunggab atong mga nangamatay, maong iyahang gisagang para muhunong,” Yap said.
(When she saw the suspect, she rose from sleep and bade him to stop, but he would not listen. He kept on stabbing those who died, so she made a shield of herself to stop him.)
Fight before stabbing
Prior to the incident, the suspect allegedly figured in a fistfight with another family member during a disco in Barangay Lower Bayong.
This was according to an interview by Sheila Altubar of Brigada News FM Cebu with the relative, identified only by the alias “John.”
John, described as the suspect’s alleged rival, said the altercation started after the suspect allegedly kept asking him to dance during the gathering.
He said the suspect allegedly punched him after he refused, leading to a fight between them.
“Nanisco mi didtos Lower Bayong tas nakainom sad tong tawhana, unya wala sad ko kabalo kung gagamit siguro to. Unya ni-jam ra man to namo ba unya pasayawon ko niya unya gitulisok man ko niya. ‘Nya dili man ko mosayaw, di man gyud ko mosayaw sa disco gyud. Mao to nanumbag siyag una, nabawsan sad nako siya, mao tong nag harong ming duha,” John said.
(We were at the disco in Lower Bayong. He had drunk. I don’t know if he was a drug used. He jammed with us. He wanted me to dance. He pointed at me. I do not dance. I never dance in a disco. He punched me first and I retaliated. We fought with each other.)
According to John, the confrontation happened at around 2 a.m., shortly before the stabbing incident.
John said his friends later escorted him away from the area for safety after tensions escalated. He added that he believed the conflict had already ended and did not expect retaliation.
Arrest after hot pursuit
Yap said the suspect fled after the stabbing but was arrested around three hours later during a hot pursuit operation in Sitio Kandaya, Barangay Linao, Talisay City.
Police said they coordinated with the suspect’s relatives and barangay officials to help locate him.
The suspect was arrested around 6:30 a.m. and was informed of the nature of the charges and his constitutional rights before being brought to the police station.
Murder charges prepared
As of Monday, May 11, police said they are completing documents needed for the filing of charges, including the victims’ death certificates and the injured woman’s medical certificate.
Authorities said the suspect is set to face two counts of murder and one count of frustrated murder.
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