Police looking into ‘inside job’ in killing of lawyer Rex Fernandez

A photo screen grabbed from a footage taken in a security camera during the ambush of Lawyer rex Fernandez last August 26 along Duterte Street, Banawa, barangay Guadalupe, Cebu City.

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Investigators here have established the possibility that the killing of lawyer Rex Fernandez last August 26, 2021 was an inside job.

This as police noted that there was an ‘insider’ or another contact who the gunman was communicating with prior to the shooting of the lawyer in Barangay Guadalupe. Based on the security camera footage that they have recovered, the gunman arrived at Duterte street, Banawa, five minutes before Fernandez’s car passed the area.

READ: Who is Atty. Rex Fernandez? 

“It is established nga [the gunman] had contact sa atoang victim, considering nga ang victim [does] not usually [go to that] area. Ug muadto man gani, walay specific time kung kanus-a siya muadto. So, it means nga dunay contact nga naka monitor sa iyang activity that day,” said Police Lieutenant Colonel Wilbert Parilla, deputy director for operations of the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO).

(It is established that (the gunman) had contact with the victim, considering that the victim does not usually go to that area. If ever he goes there, there is no specific time. So, it means that there was a contact who monitored his activity that day.)

Parilla said that based on the security camera footage, the gunman was already waiting in the area and was certain that Fernandez was inside the car when it passed.

With this, Parilla said that there is a big chance that the gunman was informed ahead by someone who had knowledge regarding Fernandez’s activities that day.

Parilla said that Fernandez was in the area to pick up real estate agent, Rosinda Acot. They were headed to a condominium where Fernandez bought a unit in Cebu City. 

Possible Motive

Parilla said that they are focusing on personal grudge as the motive for the Fernandez’s killing . This was also supported by the pieces of evidence they gathered. He begged off from going into the details of these pieces of evidence.

Parilla believes that there is a big chance that someone hired a gunman to kill Fernandez. However, they are still investigating what specific gun-for-hire group was this. 

READ: Clearer photo of suspect behind murder of lawyer Fernandez to be released – CCPO

For now, they are setting aside the victim’s profession as a lawyer as possible motive for the ambush.

As of this posting, Parilla said that they are still waiting for the report from the Regional Anti-Cybercrime Unit (RACU-7) on what information they have extracted from the recovered cellular phone of Fernandez.

Persons of Interest

Parilla said that they now have at least five persons of interest over the killing of Fernandez. This includes the driver of Fernandez at the time of the ambush, and the four names that Fernandez mentioned in a Facebook post last August 19.

READ: Real estate agent no longer a person of interest in Fernandez killing

The driver has already provided his statement but Parilla said that they are still exploiting the information they gathered from him pending their investigation. They have also yet to know the current status of the driver if he is already in stable condition after he was also hit during the ambush.

The four others are yet to give their statements.

/bmjo