Suspect in hotel manager’s slay linked to credit card theft in Dumaguete in 2011

MANILA, Philippines — The main suspect in the murder of the hotel officer who died after a get-together with friends in a Parañaque City hotel two weeks ago was reportedly involved in a credit card theft in Dumaguete City, five years ago.

Online reports in 2011 revealed that Rodney Ynchausti was arrested in Dumaguete, along with a certain Jane Evarrette Blanco, after they posed as World Wildlife Fund (WWF) members and victimized donors by getting their credit card information and using the card for transactions.

Dentist Marilou Sy reportedly gave a P500-donation, believing she was dealing with representatives of the environment group.  She did not realize that she disclosed her credit card information to the suspects in the process. Sy claimed that P67,000 was credited to her account the next day.

The suspects were arrested after they came back to the victim’s clinic thinking that they could victimize more doctors in their scam.

Ynchausti’s address in the earlier case — Quebec Street in BF International Village in Las Piñas — matched his details in the records of the Parañaque police.

The Parañaque police chief, Senior Supt. Ariel Andrade, said they have not yet received information on this earlier case against Ynchausti. He said they would have to coordinate with the Dumaguete police to get more information.

Ynchausti and three other suspects identified as Molo Hwang, Paul Egoc and Josiebell Uy, were charged with murder last week after the death of his live-in partner Edgel Joy Durolfo, an assistant manager of Solaire Resort in Parañaque City.

Prior to her death, Durolfo spent a get-together with Ynchausti and some friends in a room at the Solaire hotel last Feb. 26. At one point, a closed circuit television (CCTV) captured several men carrying Durolfo out of the hotel room and to the hotel clinic. She was later on brought to the San Juan De Dios Hospital in Pasay City where she died hours later.

The murder complaint against the suspects indicated that the Southern Police District Crime Laboratory ruled her cause of death as “asphyxia by manual strangulation.” Investigators claimed that the results proved that “superiority of strength” was used against Durolfo.

In an earlier statement given to the Solaire security officers, Ynchausti claimed that he and Durolfo took Ecstasy during the party. He recalled seeing the victim “high” on drugs, and then later struggled to breathe.

Andrade said that the Southern Police District crime laboratory has not yet released the results of the toxicology test on Durolfo.  The results of the test would determine whether Durolfo really took the drug Ecstasy prior to her death.  SFM