Lawyer killed, 2 wounded in Cebu ambush

CEBU CITY, Philippines — A female lawyer was killed while her law partner and office staff were wounded when they were ambushed by still unidentified men in Barangay Looc, Mandaue City, Cebu, past 6 p.m. on Thursday.

SPO2 Juan Calamba, desk officer of the Mandaue City Police Station 5, identified the fatality as Amelie Ocañada Alegre, 35.

Wounded were her law partner, Briccio Boholst and an office staff, Antonio Pino who were both recuperating at the University of Cebu Medical Center in Mandaue.

Boholst is a former Integrated Bar of the Philippines-Cebu City president and Mandaue city administrator.

Alegre died on the spot due to multiple gunshot wounds in the body. Boholst was hit in the leg and Pino in the stomach.

Alegre was driving a grey BMW car with plate number ABM 5635 after attending a meeting with Boholst and Pino in Mandaue.

She was supposed to drop off Boholst in Barangay Looc but her vehicle was fired upon by one of the two men on board a motorcycle when the car reached Catalino Street in Barangay Looc, Mandaue.

Senior Supt. Mariano Natu-el, Mandaue City police director, said they were looking into all angles of the killing.

He said they were securing the testimonies of witnesses and would try to review the footage of the CCTV installed near the traffic light located 100 meters away from the crime scene.

“We can’t give any conclusion now,” he said.

But he said the police would invite Alegre’s husband for questioning.

Alegre’s mother Marieta, who rushed to the crime scene upon learning of the ambush, said her daughter confided to her that she had been receiving death threats from her husband, Ryan Alegre, a businessman.

The couple were sweethearts at the University of San Carlos. They got married in 2004.

But their relationship turned sour four years after when the victim learned that her husband had a mistress.

Her husband eventually filed a petition to annul their marriage in court.