Lawyer’s wife, 2 companions shot dead in car after Talisay lot demolition

A lawyer’s wife and two companions were shot dead yesterday when their Isuzu pickup stopped for a red light in a junction of  the South Coastal Road in Talisay Cebu.

Two men on a red motorcycle sprayed bullets on the vehicle at 3:25 p.m. then fled.

Police said the real target of the ambush appeared to be lawyer Raul Sesbreño.

The Sesbreño couple was earlier seen riding the vehicle after a tension-filled demolition of houses on the family’s disputed lot in barangay Lawaan, Talisay.

The lawyer had gone to the police earlier in the morning, asking for a security detail after reportedly receiving death threats.

The fatalities were identified as 65-year-old Virginia Sesbreño, her close friend  Soledad Epanto, 50, and the car owner Joshua Young, who was in his 30s.

The lawyer was not in the white Isuzu pickup when it was ambushed.

“The gunmen may have thought he was riding the vehicle,” said SPO1 Mickie Espina, after talking to the lawyer,  who told investigators he was the likely target.

Police said the killing may have  been related to the ongoing court-ordered demolition of structures on the lot claimed by the Sesbreños in barangay Lawaan, Talisay.

Raul went to the police station on Wednesday morning to ask for policemen to go to the demolition site to maintain the peace.

Inspector Ricardo Echavez of the Talisay police said he and four other policemen went to the demolition site and witnessed the Sesbreños and the affected residents heatedly arguing.

He said Raul later boarded the white Isuzu pickup with Virginia, Epanto and Young who owned the vehicle.

The lawyer was dropped off at home in barangay Pungsod Lawaan III, a few meters from the demolition site.  His wife and friends proceeded to Cebu City through the SCR.

Upon reaching the corner of R. Rabaya Street and the South Coastal Road, a red motorcycle with two men onboard drove alongside the pickup.  The motorbike had  a sign “For registration” instead of a license plate.

The back rider fired at the pickup before speeding off to Cebu City.

The victims were shot several times in the chest. They were brought to the Talisay District Hospital where physicians pronounced them dead.