Killer yields to police a day after couple’s slay

Murder suspect Eduardo Ardiente is escorted by police a day after the death of elderly couple in Barangay Busay. (CDN PHOTO/TONEE DESPOJO)

A 27-year-old construction worker surrendered to authorities Tuesday noon and admitted to killing an elderly couple whom he suspected of informing police that he is a drug user.

Eduardo Ardiente yielded to councilman Renato Caballes of Barangay Busay, Cebu City who turned him over to the Cebu City Police Office’s Intelligence Division.

Ardiente stabbed to death spouses Ricardo and Francisca Cupta inside their home in the mountain barangay of Busay at past 8 p.m. last Monday.

The couple died of multiple stab wounds in the head and parts of their bodies.

Ardiente also stabbed his cousin Cyric Balolot who was wounded on the left arm.

In an interview, Ardiente admitted killing the couple but denied using illegal drugs.

“Napuno na ko. Matag adlaw na lang ko nila sultihan nga ‘surrender na’ (I can’t take their nagging anymore. They kept nagging me to surrender to the authorities),” he said, alluding to the Philippine National Police’s Oplan TokHang that encourages drug users and pushers to yield to authorities and stop their involvement with illegal drugs.

Ardiente said the couple as well as Balolot kept on accusing him of stealing things or other infractions which he didn’t commit.

He said he was into illegal drugs for years but stopped in 2010. “Manigarilyo og moinom ko pero dili ko mag-drugs. (I smoke and drink but I don’t use illegal drugs),” Ardiente said.

Barangay chairman Amilo Lopez of Busay said they hunted down Ardiente but could not find him last night.

The suspect reportedly went down to Cebu City before he decided to surrender at noon yesterday.

“Gigutom na kuno siya. (He said he’s hungry),” Lopez told Cebu Daily News.

Ardiente was detained at the Cebu City Police Office stockade pending the filing of two counts of murder and one count of frustrated murder against him.

Supt. Michael Bastes, chief of the City Intelligence Branch, said they recovered the knife used in stabbing the victims.

Chief Supt. Noli Taliño, director of the Police Regional Office in Central Visayas (PRO-7), urged tipsters not to be afraid and to continue helping them in the fight against illegal drugs.

“The fight against illegal drugs is a shared responsibility. We, policemen, could not do it alone. And remember, we’re doing this not just for ourselves but for our children and the future generations,” he said.

Taliño said anyone who wants to report about any illegal drug operations in their areas can text the three hotline numbers of PRO-7: 09294783231, 09164932111, and 09427641609.

“I assure you that any information we receive shall be highly confidential. We will validate and act on them,” he said./With UP Cebu Intern Patrick Gattoc