Man admits killing nurse for booze

MANILA, Philippines – A 22-year-old suspect in the killing of a nurse in Quezon City surrendered to police on Tuesday, claiming he was drunk and only intended to steal money to buy more alcohol at the time.

Jeffrey Guarin said he broke into September Ann Paz’s room at a boarding house on Doña Juana Rodriguez street in Barangay Kristong Hari on Saturday.

Paz woke up and started screaming as he was going through her purse for money to buy drinks, Guarin told reporters yesterday.

He said he blacked out as he stabbed Paz with her own kitchen knife. Guarin said he surrendered because his conscience bothered him.

Paz sustained 19 stab wounds in the neck trunk and upper extremities, said Senior Superintendent Guillermo Eleazar, Quezon City Police District chief.

Her body was found at past 6 a.m. on Saturday after her fellow tenants reported to barangay officials they heard groans coming from her room.

Police officers recovered shattered jalousie slats and bloodied bed sheets and pillowcases at the crime scene.

Guarin and two others were brought in for questioning regarding Paz’s killing on Monday. They were released the following day.

Hours after his release, Guarin told his parents about the crime.

Eleazar said police recovered two bloodied black shorts at the suspect’s house following his surrender. The kitchen knife, which Guarin supposedly threw into a nearby creek, has yet to be recovered.

The suspect, who surrendered to authorities and admitted to using illegal drugs last month, tested positive for drugs following his arrest, Eleazar said.

Guarin faces charges of attempted robbery with homicide for Paz’s death, said Superintendent Rodelio Marcelo, head of the QCPD’s Criminal Investigation and Detection Unit.

 “This senseless killing of the victim by the suspect, who admitted to using illegal drugs, once again proves the destructive effects of illegal drugs,”  he said.

Paz was a nurse from St. Luke’s Medical Center and worked the day shift while her roommate was assigned to night duty at the same hospital.