Suspect narrates chilling details of Cebu teenager's murder

MANILA, Philippines — The suspect in the gruesome murder of a 16-year-old student in Cebu used scissors in committing the crime and learned how to peel off skin by watching videos on Facebook and Youtube, the country’s top cop said Thursday.

Philippine National Police chief Oscar Albayalde said that Renato Payupan Llenes, who was arrested Tuesday afternoon, voluntarily narrated his involvement in the killing of Christine Lee Silawan because “he was haunted by his conscience.”

Albayalde said Llenes, allegedly on the drug watchlist, became friends with Silawan on Facebook using a fake account and met with her on March 10—the day the teenager was killed.

The suspect, 42 years old, attempted to rape Silawan but “no penetration has been made for the reason of no erection,” Albayalde also said. The PNP Crime Laboratory-7 on Monday stood by its finding that the victim was not raped.

“He admitted he had stabbed Christine several times because he got jealous and at that time, [he was] under the influence of illegal drugs,” the PNP chief said.

Albayalde added: “He peeled off Christine’s face so that she would not be identified. He revealed that he learned the way of peeling off the victim through Facebook and ‘Momo’ challenge and Youtube.”

The so-called Momo challenge—featuring a grinning character with dark hair and bulging eyes—allegedly compels children to engage in dangerous tasks. But it has been debunked as a “recurring viral hoax.”

Silawan was found dead in a vacant lot in Brgy. Bankal in Lapu-Lapu City last March. Her body bore 20 stab wounds while her face was skinned.

The Freeman earlier reported that Director Tomas Enrile of the National Bureau of Investigation regional office said the arrest of the suspect is a positive development even as he vowed to pursue the case against Silawan’s former boyfriend. 

The NBI earlier arrested Silawan’s former boyfriend based on circumstantial evidence he was the last person seen with the victim before the she was killed. — Gaea Katreena Cabico with reports from The Freeman