Artist’s sketch of suspect in Bohol priest slay released

The National Bureau of Investigation-Bohol has released the artist’s sketch of one of the two suspects in the killing of Fr. Marcelino Biliran, parish priest of St. Peter the Apostle Parish Church in Loboc town, Bohol province. LEO UDTOHAN, Inquirer Visayas

TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol—The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI)-Bohol has released an artist’s sketch of one of the suspects in the murder of Fr. Marcelino Biliran, parish priest of St. Peter the Apostle Parish Church in Loboc town, Bohol.

Lawyer Arcelito Albao, executive officer of NBI-Bohol, said on Monday they had the identities of the perpetrators but would not reveal them since it might affect the ongoing investigation.

The suspects were seen by a parish worker before Biliran was murdered, he added.

Albao said they were already hunting down the two suspects but they only had the artist’s sketch of one of them.

Albao said Biliran’s family offered a reward of P1 million to those who would be able to give information on the whereabouts of the suspects and lead to their arrests.

Biliran was found dead inside his room in the convent on the evening of June 27.

Initial investigation conducted by the Loboc police showed it was a case of suicide, a mortal sin among the Catholics, since the priest was found hanging from an extension wire tied to a holder of a curtain rod inside the toilet of his room.

READ: Bohol parish priest did not kill self over cancer, he was murdered – NBI

Biliran’s friends and relatives assumed that depression could have driven the priest to kill himself after he was diagnosed with colon cancer in September 2015.

Bilirian’s family, however, sought the help of the NBI in identifying his killers since they could not believe that the priest would kill himself.

Autopsy on the body showed that the laceration found in Biliran’s neck was horizontal and not vertical as in the usual case of suicide victims. JE/rga