Cops raid house of couple tagged in prosecutor’s killing

BATANGAS CITY—Police raided the house of a couple in

Sta. Teresita town who have been tagged as masterminds in the killing of Alexander Sandoval, assistant provincial prosecutor of Batangas.

The search in the house of Hermogenes Mendoza, village chief in Sta. Teresita, and wife Anna Marie Mendoza, a losing mayoralty candidate, yielded firearms and bullets, said Senior Superintendent Rosauro Acio, Batangas police chief.

Hermogenes eluded arrest and only Anna Marie has been arrested and is now in police custody for interrogation, said Acio.

Armed with a search warrant, police raided the Mendoza residence at past 10 a.m.

Police seized an Armalite rifle, two handguns and several rounds of ammunition during the raid, Acio said.

The Mendozas were identified as the alleged masterminds in the killing of Sandoval by Jason Espejo, one of two gunmen arrested by police in Taal town hours after the ambush-killing of Sandoval in San Luis town on Thursday.

Espejo, 26, of Laoag City claimed he belonged to a gun-for-hire group that was allegedly contracted by the Mendoza couple to kill Sandoval, Acio said.

He said Espejo claimed he did not know why the couple wanted Sandoval killed, saying, “I was just ordered to kill him.”

According to Acio, investigators found that the white Toyota Corolla (TDD-852) that was seen tailing the motorcycle used by Mendoza’s gunmen is registered in the name of Anna Marie Mendoza.

Police also recovered the motorcycle used by the suspects

2 kilometers from the crime scene, added Acio.

Sandoval, 42, was shot dead by two men on board a motorcycle in Barangay Muzon in San Luis town at around 11 a.m. on Thursday.