DOJ terminates hearing on Kian, Kulot slay case
Lina and Eddie de Guzman view the remains of their son Reynaldo before burying him at the Pasig public cemetery. Michael Varcas, File
MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Justice has terminated the preliminary investigation on the killing of Carl Arnaiz and Reynaldo "Kulot' de Guzman, who are believed to be killed by Caloocan cops.
Senior Assistant State Prosecutor Ma. Emilia Victorio and Assistant State Prosecutor Gilmarie Fe Pacamara deemed the case submitted for resolution after the witnesses for the respondent Caloocan cops reaffirmed their joint affidavit on Friday.
On Friday's hearing, witnesses Solomon Rosca and Madelene Soliman subscribed to their testimony that states they saw Arnaiz fire at the PO1 Jeffrey Perez and PO1 Ricky Arquilita on the dawn of August 18.
According to Dodjie Encinas, lawyer of the two respondent-policemen, Rosca and Soliman said "they passed the highway aboard a tricyle when they saw the two policemen chasing a teenager. They said the teenager fired at the policemen instead of surrendering to them. A shootout then ensued."
“These witnesses went to an alley to hide. When they went back to the highway a few minutes later, they saw the teenager dead,” Encinas said in an earlier interview.
READ: 3 ways stories of taxi driver, Caloocan cops clash
The policemen insisted that they were carrying out a legitimate police operation and Arnaiz shot at them, prompting them to fire back at the teenager.
Perez and Arquilita, along with cabbie Tomas Bagcal, are facing double murder, torture and planting of evidence complaints for the slay of the two teenagers.
The two respondent-policemen, however, did not mention the case of De Guzman, at all, in their counter-affidavit.
The two teenagers are believed to be together when they both went missing since the night of August 17.
Their bodies were found in two separate places, 11 days apart: His parents found Arnaiz in a funeral home in Caloocan City, while the body believed to be De Guzman's was found floating in a creek in Gapan, Nueva Ecija on September 6.
All the cases of the three teenage killings believed to be carried under the government's drug war are now pending resolution before the DOJ.
On October 27, the DOJ has wrapped up the preliminary investigation on the case of Kian delos Santos, believed to be killed by Caloocan cops in their One Time Big Time operation against illegal drugs on August 16.
- Latest
- Trending
