Suspect in Korean’s slay falls

CEBU, Philippines — The police have arrested the man being held responsible for the death of a Korean tourist, as well as the man’s two live-in-partners, in separate operations in Cebu City last Wednesday evening.

Police said Jessie Casado, 35, alias “Kano,” was apprehended using separate warrants issued by Judge Ferdie Esperidion Riveral of Regional Trial Court Branch 56 and Assisting Judge Allan Francisco Garciano of RTC Branch 28.

The warrants were issued for another case he committed in Consolacion.

Chief Inspector Dindo Alaras, chief of the Mabolo police station, said that Casado was allegedly caught in act of using nubain when police came to serve the warrant on the suspect who was in a hotel along Edison Street, Barangay Lahug, Cebu City, around 7 p.m. Wednesday.

Also caught with him was one of his live-in-partners, Ajie Soguilon, 18, and her mother Arlene, 46.

Police confiscated a .45 cal. pistol with five live rounds, seven medium plastics pack containing suspected shabu, 12 nubain ampoules, and other drug paraphernalia from Casado.

The drugs seized will be turned over to Philippine National Police Crime Laboratory while the gun will undergo cross-matching to determine if it was used in other crimes.

Alaras said they traced the suspect through Arlene, who was being monitored by undercover policemen.

He added that after Casado shot Young Ho Lee last August 26 inside a hotel in Barangay Mabolo he went into hiding and would transfer from one hotel to another to keep police off his tracks.

He said that the hotel’s management was cooperative when the police positively located Casado.

“Even though ang background aning Kano kay mosukol g’yud kuno, unya nakuha man nato ang element of surprise pagsulod g’yud sa area, although naa’y gamay nga commotion, at least wala na-resort sa pagpamusil,” he said.

He added that based on their surveillance, different people would enter the suspect’s hotel room, leading police to believe that he was operating his illegal drug business inside the hotel.

“Naa g’yud ni siyay ka-transaction kay based sa atong monitoring, lain-laing tao nga mosaka ug kanaog sa iyang kwarto, naa’y mosulod, kadali ra sad, mogawas ra dayon,” he said.

After checking Casado’s cellphone, police found out that he had an incoming transaction with Precy Abayon, 32, another live-in-partner. Police immediately hatched a buy-bust operation and arrested Abayon in Barangay Capitol Site.

Alaras said that Abayon was briefly in a relationship with Lee. This caused Casado to get jealous and he shot Lee dead inside the hotel. He said that during their one-on-one briefing Casado admitted to killing Lee.

Senior Superintendent Royina Garma, Cebu City Police Office director, said part of her directive after Lee was shot dead was to form tracker teams dedicated to pursuing Casado.

She said that based on the intelligence they gathered, Casado is a bigtime player in the illegal drug business and also accepted gun-for-hire jobs.

“I would like to commend the Station 4 for their effort. Malaki siyang player sa profiling sa kanya nasa gun-for-hire and nasa illegal drug trade din sila,” she said.

Consul General Oh Young Hun of the Korean Consulate in Cebu thanked the police for the resolution of the case.

“I’m extremely grateful to the police for the arrest of the suspects. I hope this type of the crime, such as murder will not happen again,” he said.

Police Regional Office-7 director Debold Sinas, in a previous interview, assured the 600,000-strong Korean community here that they have reactivated the Korean desks specifically to cater to the efficient resolution of cases involving tourists.

“The Korean community is safe in Cebu, and we assure them that we are as much concerned of their well-being,” Sinas said. (FREEMAN)