‘Pulutan’-starved drunk who kills wife, 2 relatives surrenders to police
MANILA, Philippines—Authorities on Wednesday said that the man who killed his wife, and two relatives in a drunken fit Tuesday night in Tondo, Manila, has surrendered.
Manila Police District chief Senior Superintendent Alejandro Gutierrez told INQUIRER.net that 37-year-old Ronald Cruz has yielded to police and was turned over to the Homicide Section.
Senior Inspector Joselito de Ocampo, chief of the MPD’s Homicide Section, said declined to pinpoint where exactly Cruz chose to surrender to them but explained that it was “just somewhere in Manila.”
Superintendent Jemar Modequillo, MPD Station 2 commander, said that their search for the suspect brought them to as far as Pampanga and Bulacan. He added that Cruz surrendered “through coordination with his relatives (at) pakiusap namin na harapin niya ang kinatatayuan niya. Malaking bagay na tumupad siya at sumuko (and we asked him to face whatever he’s up to now. It’s important he complies and surrenders).”
Communication between authorities and the suspect and his relatives started as early as 7 a.m. and by 2 p.m., they met up with Cruz who was initially brought to Station 2 before being turned over to MPD’s Homicide Section at around 7 p.m.
Charges of paricide with two counts of homicide and one of frustrated homicide will be lodged against Cruz, De Ocampo said.
Cruz, a messenger for the Philippine Reclamation Authority in Makati City, fled right after he shot his wife Gina, 36, mother-in-law Senecia Valencia, 60, sister-in-law Loreta Venturina, 40, and Ventura’s fiance US Air Force member John Walker, 44.
Only Walker survived the ordeal and recounted to police how they tried to intervene during the Cruz couple’s quarrel before the husband started shooting at them.
SPO1 Gerardo Rivera, case investigator from the Homicide Section of the Manila Police District, explained that Cruz shot the victims inside their home at No. 1220 Masinop Street in Tondo after his wife failed to bring him his “pulutan” (appetizer for alcoholic beverages). He added that the suspect had just been to a drinking binge and was drunk when he came home at around 7:35 p.m.
He said that Valencia, Venturina and Walker rushed to Gina’s defence, intending to pacify the suspect who brandished his 9 millimeter pistol instead, shooting his wife on the forehead at close range before turning on his relatives.
Senecia died on the spot while Gina and Venturina died while being treated for gunshot wounds at the Mary Johnston Hospital. Their remains have been turned over to the police morgue for autopsy, added Rivera.
Meanwhile, Walker, who has been confined at the same hospital for treatment on the gunshot wound on his chin, recounted the entire incident to investigators and was expected to provide his written account of the crime after he is released from the hospital.
Recovered from the scene of the crime were four empty shells from a 9 millimeter pistol.
Originally posted at 04:11 pm | Wednesday, January 04, 2012
