Carjacker found dead in Bilibid

MANILA, Philippines — Convicted carjack gang leader Raymond Dominguez was found dead in his cell at the New Bilibid Prison’s maximum security compound, the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) said yesterday.

Dominguez died of “natural causes,” BuCor spokesman Gabriel Chaclag told reporters.

He said an investigation is ongoing but ruled out foul play since the initial report stated that Dominguez died of cardiac arrest.

“There are insinuations that he was killed. Initially, no, it was a death from natural causes,” Chaclag said in Filipino, but added they would wait for the medico-legal report.

Dominguez caught COVID-19 twice last year and was released last month from Site Harry, the prison’s isolation facility, according to Chaclag. Dominguez was then transferred to Dormitory 2 of the maximum security compound.

Aside from Dominguez, six other inmates also died in a 24-hour span. Three were from the maximum security compound while three more were from the medium security area.

After asserting that Dominguez died of natural causes, Chaclag said the BuCor is heightening security at the state penitentiary.

He also shrugged off claims by Dominguez’s family that the inmate was killed after talking to them – supposedly to say goodbye – on Thursday night.

“They are grieving. They have a lot of enemies, so maybe they think Dominguez was killed. We will let them grieve,” Chaclag said.

Dominguez was convicted of car theft in 2012 and sentenced to serve 17 to 30 years in prison.

He was also implicated in the 2011 murders of car dealers Emerson Lozano, a son of Marcos loyalist lawyer Oliver Lozano; and Venson Evangelista, a son of Arsenio Evangelista, president of the Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption.

Both men were found dead and burned after going on a test drive with supposed buyers.

The elder Evangelista said it is still “premature” to say whether foul play was involved. He said he would wait for the forensic report and official statement from the Department of Justice.

“Truth and justice is all we want to embrace,” he said.

In a radio interview also yesterday, Evangelista said he could not forgive Dominguez yet since the convict did not ask for forgiveness as the murder trial went on for nearly a decade.