Two-year-old witnesses murder of parents by lone gunman
With only a 2-year-old son as a witness, an Aeta couple was gunned down by an unidentified lone assailant inside their home in sitio Buyong, barangay Poblacion in Naga City, southern Cebu at past 4 a.m yesterday.
The 2-year-old child jumped screaming out of the window of the family hut after he witnessed the murders of his parents Junjie Albero and Marjilly Sanger.
The 30-year-old Albero sustained three gunshot wounds on the head while the 28-year-old Sanger was shot on her left eye.
Both died on the spot and were found by their eldest, a 9-year-old boy who was awakened by the gunshots.
Lilia Sanger, Marjilly’s 56-year-old mother, said her daughter was feeding her 2-year-old son prior to the murders.
Junjie supposedly worked as a trisikad driver while Marjilly earned a living as a native healer locally known as albularyo.
The area where they lived in is said to be a close-knit Aeta community with about 150 families.
Consultation
Despite this, PO2 Ronjie Nadorra of the Naga police said they were told about the incident by the couple’s neighbors two hours later.
When Cebu Daily News visited the family hut, traces of blood were found in the door and in the kitchen.
The hut is a two-room affair divided into one small kitchen and a single room the couple shared with their children.
Nadorra said Albero was found near the kitchen entrance while Sanger’s body was found near the bedroom entrance.
A bowl of congee, a cold cup of coffee and dirty dishes in the bamboo sink were found in the murder scene.
Naga police said the neighbors told them that a man went to the couple’s house at 4 a.m. pretending to to seek consultation and buy herbal medicine from Sanger.
They said Sanger, a native of Panay Island, sold homemade herbal medicine.
’Looked like a collector’
Nadorra said the couple may be familiar with the assailant after neighbors heard Albero tell him “Dong, sayo man lagi ka (Pal, aren’t you a little early)?”
He said the neighbors told them that they heard arguments between Albero and the suspect in the kitchen for about 10 minutes then heard four gunshots.
The couple’s four children—three sons, one daughter—stayed in the bedroom during that time.
The eldest, a 9-year-old son, confirmed to police that he heard his parents and the suspect arguing before the gunshots went off.
“Gamay ra ug storya, parti sa tambal, pagkahuman nibuto (They [the couple and the suspect] had an argument, it was about the herbal medicine, then bursts of gunfire were heard),” said PO3 Francisco Codiñera of the Naga police.
Neighbors described the suspect as short and fat, clad in cargo shorts and red shirt and wore a hood.
“The neighbors said he looked like a collector because he also wore a mask,” he said.
An enemy
Witnesses said the suspect left the hut and sped away on board a red motorcycle without a plate number after the murders.
The motorcycle was parked 25 meters away from the couple’s house.
Witnesses said the suspect wore a full-face helmet and headed to the national highway 400 meters away from the hut.
Wini Sanger, the victims’ cousin, said he heard one of the neighbors saying that his relative was shot.
Codiñera said a check on Albero’s background revealed that he figured in a previous fight with an unidentified man.
“Naa na siya’y nakabangi. Naay nakontra, na-enkwentro (He [Albero] had figured with a fight in the past. He had an enemy,” Codiñera said.
He said they are checking with neighbors to know who may be the couple’s enemies.
Codiñera said the witnesses are still hesitant to fully cooperate in the investigation.
The couple were brought to the St. Peter Funeral Homes in Carcar City, southern Cebu for autopsy.
Police recovered one bullet of an unidentified caliber from the scene.
The couple’s four children were turned over to social workers to undergo counseling and stress debriefing.
