Despite killer’s confession:Mother wants ex-bf charged

CEBU, Philippines — Despite the confession of Renato “Renren” Llenes, 43, that he killed 16-year-old Christine Lee Silawan and that the girl’s ex-boyfriend has nothing to do with the killing, Silawan’s mother still wants the 17-year-old boy included in the case.

The ex-boyfriend was arrested by the National Bureau of Investigation weeks before the police arrested Llenes. The NBI had arrested him based on circumstantial evidence he was the last person seen with Silawan before the girl was killed on March 10.

The boy is facing a murder complaint in relation to the cybercrime law and the NBI said it is now up to the Lapu-Lapu prosecutor’s office whether or not to dismiss the complaint, considering the Llenes’ confession.

Police Regional Office - 7 Director Debold Sinas said in a press conference that Silawan’s parents refused to sign Llenes’ affidavit of confession.

Silawan’s mother, Lourdes Pardillo, believes that her daughter’s ex-boyfriend is involved in the crime and that Silawan was raped.

This despite Llenes’ statement that he did not rape the girl and findings of the PNP Crime Laboratory that no injury was found in Silawan’s genitalia.

“She gave us a condition na the 17-year-old should be included in the murder charges that we are supposed to file. Tuo gyud siya na apil ang 17-year-old og gi-rape ni mao dili siya mupirma,” he said.

But Sinas said the police cannot charge the boy as they do not have evidence against him.

Police arrested Llenes on Tuesday in Barangay Bankal, Lapu-Lapu City, the same barangay where Silawan’s body was found on March 11.

Llenes, a father of five, was reportedly obsessed with Silawan after he came to know her on social media and through text.

Llenes is reportedly in the watchlist of the Lapu-Lapu City Police for drugs.  He said earlier he owned up to the crime because his conscience has since bothered him.

“Nakonsensya gyud ko sa nabuhat nako, kato kang Christine ug kato sa bata nga gidakop sa NBI nga wala gyud toy sala. Grabe gyud nako ka salbahis (I have been bothered by my conscience for what I’ve done to Christine and for the arrest of the boy. He is innocent. I am a bad person),” Llenes said earlier.

Llenes admitted to hitting and stabbing Silawan using a pair of scissors after they figured in an argument when she refused to have sex with him. He also reportedly used scissors to skin half of her face.

The Commission on Human Rights-7, on the other hand, admitted it is far from the end in its investigation into Silawan’s death.

CHR-7 Director Arvin Odron said their investigation will continue until such time that a case is elevated to court against Llenes.

“It seems that the police’s investigation is successful, because someone voluntarily admitted the crime. In our end, we’ll close our investigation once the case will be filed in court,” Odron said.

Promotion

Meanwhile, PNP chief Oscar Albayalde said he is eyeing at giving spot promotions to those who solved the Silawan case.  He said he is satisfied with the work of PRO-7 in arresting Llenes.

“We will see, I will consider giving the promotions, because what they did here is worthy of recognition,” he said last Thursday.

Colonel Lemuel Obon dispelled speculations that Llenes is but a fall guy, saying they have concrete evidence against him.

He admitted, nevertheless, that they were “demoralized” at the time the NBI arrested the 17-year-old boy because the boy was not even in the police radar as a suspect. —  JMO (FREEMAN)