Justice for Coach Jay, Cebu s ultimate vocal coach!

On the fateful dawn of December 30, 2023, the dead body --hands tied behind the back-- of Cebu s ultimate vocal coach was found beside a grassy area along the road in Sitio Palanas, Barangay Inayagan, Naga City. There were marks of strangulation around his neck.

It came as a shock to his family and friends and as of this writing the police have yet to determine the motive behind the killing or find the suspect/s.

The victim, Joel Jude Suson Unchuan or Coach Jay to many, 46, a resident of Barangay Kasambagan, Cebu City, was a prominent personality in the music industry in Cebu and a resident judge of the Sinulog Idol.

In an interview with one of his friends, Apple Abarquez, in my radio program Straight to the Point over dyHP RMN Cebu, she described Coach Jay as a jolly person and the killing brutal.

She summed up the sentiments of all those who love Jay and all peace-loving citizens:  All we want is justice.

On the possible motive behind his friend s death, Apple said that Coach Jay did not talk about any threat to his life. And from what she gathered, the day before Jay s death, there was nothing out of the ordinary about Jay. He was still able to chat with somebody at around 7:00 or 8:00 in the evening. He was found dead at around 1:30 a.m.

Coach Jay left behind a void that is very hard to fill. In a Facebook post, the organizers of Cebu s Sinulog Idol said in part:  Coach Jay is a beloved mother figure in the Sinulog Idol family. She has shaped all our idols to be the better version of themselves, both on and off the stage.

Sinulog Idol will never be the same without you, Coach Jay, the statement continued.

In my interview with PRO-7 spokesman Police Lt. Col. Gerard Ace Pelare, he assured the public that the police will leave no stone unturned. With the recovery of the victim s car and cellular phone, he is optimistic that they can provide enough leads for the authorities to identify the criminals very soon.

The police have continued the backtracking of the CCTV footage with the help of the GPS and dash camera installed in the victim s car. Hopefully, CCTV footage, which we all know has helped solve many crimes, may point to the movement of the victim and the criminals before, during, and after the incident.

Abarquez, who spoke on behalf of the victim's family, said the victim's friends are thankful that the investigating officers are doing their best to bring the perpetrator/s to justice.

"There's such a thin trail," Abarquez said, expressing optimism about the development of the investigation in the midst of the sorrow she felt for the passing of a good friend.

May justice be served.