PNP files murder, theft complaints vs 3 suspects in Jumalon slay

Juan “DJ Johnny Walker” Jumalon (Photo from Facebook)

MANILA, Philippines — Murder and theft complaints were filed against three suspects involved in the brazen killing of radio broadcaster Juan Jumalon in Misamis Occidental on November 5, the Philippine National Police (PNP) said Thursday.

PNP spokesperson Col. Jean Fajardo said the complaints were filed before the Provincial Prosecutor’s Office of Misamis Occidental. She added that only one suspect was identified by name, while the two others were referred to as “John Does” in the complaint sheet.

“On November 8, 2023, a case of murder and theft was referred to the Provincial Prosecutor’s Office of Misamis Occidental for evaluation of the assisting prosecutor under the case build-up mechanism of the Department of Justice pursuant to DOJ Department Circular No. 20 against one named person with two other john does,” Fajardo told reporters in a Viber message.

The police official explained that since a case build-up is ongoing, the PNP is refraining from disclosing the name of the identified suspect.

She likewise declined to say whether the identified individual in the complaint is the same person in the computerized facial sketch that the PNP made public.

Based on the accompanying information of the sketch, the man is described as having a medium build, 5’5″ to 5’6″ tall, and possibly weighing around 70 kilograms. It also indicated that the man, who allegedly served as a lookout while his supposed accomplices were inside the residence of Jumalon, was caught on CCTV wearing a red cap, green shirt, and black shorts.

Radioman Jumalon, 57, was shot to death while on a live broadcast over Misamis Occidental’s Gold FM 94.7 early morning on November 5. His house in Calamba town served as the location for the radio station.

The Presidential Task Force on Media Security (PTFoMS) previously said police investigators are eyeing four motives in the assassination of Jumalon.

PTFoMS executive director Undersecretary Paul Gutierrez did not enumerate the four motives but suggested it could be related to land dispute, work, or politics based on the police’s ongoing probe.