TIMELINE: The gruesome killing of Cebu saleslady Charina Relativo

Authorities here have identified the saleslady who was found lifeless and naked inside her rented house in Barangay Bulacao, Cebu City, on Friday afternoon, August 2. | Paul Lauro

CEBU CITY, Philippines – It took less than a week for local police to consider the murder of Charina Baoy Relativo a solved case.

Days after she was found dead inside her rented house in Barangay Bulacao, Cebu City, a suspect was found and eventually charged for her death.

The woman’s untimely demise inside her own home caused a stir among residents of their barangay as it brought back memories of Reah Mae Tocmo, the young woman who  was stuffed inside a carton and left by the side of the road in Barangay Tisa, Cebu City July of last year.

Moreover, the saleslady was naked when her body was found leading them to believe that she was raped.

Fortunately, the investigation of Inayawan police led to the arrest of the suspect identified as Darren Somosot Cui.

Relativo was a 27-year-old native of Barangay Bulasa, Argao town in southern Cebu who came to Cebu City to work as a mall saleslady.

READ: Sexual desire identified as motive behind saleslady’s death

Killing of Cebu mall saleslady considered solved – police

She was living with her live-in partner, Johnjie Gaviola, and his brother in Brgy. Bulacao.

Her family in Argao didn’t know that she would never be able to keep her promise of renovating their childhood home.

Here is a timeline of the tragedy of Relativo’s death based on findings from police investigations.

Friday – August 2

At around 12:30 p.m. on Friday, August 2, two of her neighbors discovered Relativo’s lifeless body inside her house.

She was naked and her hair was burned.

Law enforcers were then called and an investigation began to find out what happened to the woman.

The police found out from the victim’s partner, Gaviola, that she was left alone at the time because he was at work.

His brother, on the other hand, was in Carcar City.

Gaviola also worked in sales at the same mall Relativo was working. While his shift started early in the morning, Relativo started work at noon.

Gaviola told police that he left the house at around 7 a.m. on Friday while the victim was still asleep.

By around 10 a.m., he started to worry when his partner didn’t respond to his messages

This prompted him to call his friend and neighbor, Cui, to ask a favor to check on Relativo.

Cui asked another friend, Anthony Abalaya, to accompany him and together they found Relativo dead.

Police also discovered that a butane stove found near her body was the cause of her hair being burned.

Saturday – August 3

A man, believed to have vital information that could help solve Relativo’s murder, was identified.

The search for the man was made public by Barangay Captain Dave Tumulak of Basak Pardo through a post on his social media page.

In his post, Tumulak urged the public to report to police the whereabouts of the man in the picture.

He was later identified as 27-year-old Darren Somosot Cui.

Cui is unemployed and is an acquaintance of Relativo’s live-in partner as they were neighbors.

He has a live-in partner, who works as a call center agent, and a one-year-old daughter.

Cui was particularly a good friend with Gaviola’s brother whom he played basketball with.

Police, however, clarified that Cui was not yet considered a person of interest in the crime during a press conference on Saturday.

Police Major Jeciree Basitao, chief of the Inayawan Police Station, said that Cui was only invited to come to the station for questioning as he was one of the persons who found the body.

Basitao relayed that among the individuals they invited to the station to relay any useful information, Cui was the only one who didn’t show up.

He could not also be found in his residence in Sitio Laguna. It was found that he left with his baby to an unknown address.

Basitao also disclosed that the victim’s cadaver was subjected to an autopsy examination to determine the cause of death and whether she was raped.

While Cui was still could not be located, Basitao urged the public to refrain from speculating on the cause of Relativo’s death.

This was after dozens of individuals online began spreading Cui’s picture calling him the suspect of raping and killing Relativo.

On Saturday afternoon, police arrested Cui after he was caught in possession of an unlicensed firearm while he was at the house of his live-in partner’s father in Brgy. Sambag 2.

Police were responding to an armed person alarm in the barangay and found the suspect to be Cui.

A few hours later, he was brought to the Inayawan Police Station where he was then questioned.

Meanwhile, Relativo’s mother, Letecia, was desperate to find out what her daughter did for her to be brutally killed.

READ: PCO: Lower crime rate during Marcos term vs previous admin

“Unsa ma’y sala sa akong anak? Kabuotan sa akong anak. Nganong iya mang gibuhatan ana?” Letecia said in an interview that was held at Charina’s wake in their hometown in Argao.

Letecia also stated that she plans to meet Cui personally to ask him herself.

She believed that Cui was the perpetrator who choked and burned her daughter.

The mother was informed of her daughter’s unfortunate fate while she was fetching her grandchild from school.

She recalled how she shouted in grief when she got the call from her husband’s nephew.

Letecia also said that Charina’s death was a big loss to their family.

Charina, according to her, was a good daughter who helped sustain her siblings’ education and loved to visit home by surprise during special occasions.

Monday – August 5

Police Colonel Antonietto Cañete, acting city director of the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO), scheduled a press conference on Monday afternoon, August 5, to give updates on Relativo’s case.

The conference began at past 2 p.m. and was also attended by Cebu City Acting Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia.

Darren Somotsot Cui is named by the police as the primary suspect in the killing of mall saleslady Charina Baoy Relativo at her rented house in Sitio Laguna, Brgy. Bulacao, Cebu City, on Friday, August 2. | via Emmariel Ares

Cañete confirmed to the media that Cui is responsible for Relativo’s death.

According to Cañete, the suspect has admitted to the crime and narrated to the police what happened on the day of the incident.

The police chief elaborated that Cui was intoxicated when he received Gaviola’s call to wake up Relativo.

This was not unusual for Cui, as the woman’s partner had allegedly asked for favors before to wake the woman up for her duty.

When he arrived at the house at past 7 a.m., Cui allegedly saw the naked Relativo who had just gotten out of the shower.

Cañete said that Cui confessed to being tempted by the woman’s body causing him to drag her out of the bathroom.

When he asked her to have sex with him, Relativo allegedly refused but Cui still insisted and tried to hug her.

The police chief, however, was unable to confirm if the two individuals previously had a more intimate relationship.

Because the woman was wet, they both fell on the ground.

Cui said that he was alarmed because Relativo was being loud so he grabbed her around the neck with his arm to silence her.

Her attempts to fight back were futile and she eventually lost her breath.

In his panic, Cui grabbed a nearby butane stove and set the woman on fire to conceal what he had done.

However, the fire stopped midway and only Relativo’s hair and a portion of her head was burned.

He then left the house as the woman’s body began to swell up.

When he returned to the house a few hours later, Cui allegedly instructed Abalaya to enter first in hopes of framing his friend for the crime.

Cañete further disclosed that the killing was motivated by the suspect’s sexual urges.

He added that a charge for the possession of loose firearms was already filed against Cui on Monday morning as he was caught with a .45 caliber pistol.

Aside from this, police were preparing to file murder charges against Cui after he executed an extrajudicial confession admitting to the crime.

During the press conference, Garcia commended police for the swift action and instructed them to see the case through until the suspect is convicted.

August 6 – Tuesday

In an interview with local media on Tuesday, Cañete relayed that charges of arson and murder have also been filed against Cui on Monday.

The murder charge, however, may still be amended to rape with homicide if the result of the forensic examination suggests that a rape took place.

Cañete also said that he has ordered for a new test to be made as the testing kits were found to be expired.

To avoid any misunderstandings, a medico legal officer at the Regional Forensic Unit in Central Visayas (RFU-7) clarified that a re-autopsy will not be done because it is not necessary.

Police Lieutenant Colonel Benjamin Lara told CDN Digital that the autopsy was done properly and there was already a result.

He explained that the expired testing kits previously mentioned were meant to be used for a serological examination, which will determine if there is semen present in the victim’s swab.

When they discovered that the kits were expired, Lara said that they chose not to conduct the exam and to use DNA testing which will provide even more informative results.

With DNA examination, they will be able to determine if there was a male profile in the swab and identify to whom it belonged to through profiling. 

The CCPO acting director said that they have gathered various pieces of evidence pointing to Cui as the suspect, including a statement from a witness who claimed seeing the man leave the victim’s house before she was found dead.

Furthermore, they are waiting for the forensic exam results to verify if the saleslady was raped before she was killed.

Cañete added on Tuesday that Relativo’s murder case is now considered solved. /clorenciana