Woman who shot dead husband in mall ordered detained at QC jail

MANILA, Philippines—The distraught wife who shot dead her husband in a crowded mall two weeks ago has been ordered detained at the Quezon City Jail pending her arraignment next month.

The Quezon City Regional Trial Court has directed the transfer of Shella Macapugay to the jail’s female dormitory inside Camp Karingal in Sikatuna Village.

Judge Bayani Vargas of RTC Branch 219, in a one-page order, said he found probable cause to charge the widow in court for the crimes of parricide and murder.

The woman is currently detained at the Quezon City Police District’s Criminal Investigation and Detection Unit where policemen are keeping a close eye on her.

Vargas, in the same order, set Macapugay’s arraignment for the twin charges on Oct. 4 at 1:30 p.m.

The cases, docketed as Q-11-172312, were raffled off to the court last week, records showed.

Macapugay was arrested and subsequently charged for allegedly shooting her estranged husband, Abel, at his workplace at the SM City North Edsa mall on September 15.

Police investigation showed that the woman was driven by jealousy over her husband’s alleged philandering, which resulted in a son out of wedlock.

Macapugay left behind suicide notes addressed to her mother, mother-in-law, employer and a woman believed to be her husband’s mistress.

Documents submitted to the Quezon City prosecutors’ office during inquest proceedings showed that based on the suicide notes, Macapugay had intended to kill herself after shooting her husband.

However, a security guard, Ricardo Inamac III, stepped in and tried to stop her, and was shot and killed by Macapugay in the process.

She is now facing parricide rap for her husband’s death and murder for that of Inamac, both non-bailable offenses under the Revised Penal Code.