Alleged killers of ‘drug lord’ Espinosa’s ex-wife shot dead in Cebu City

Rubout victim (INQUIRER FILE PHOTO)

CEBU CITY — Two alleged killers of the estranged wife of suspected drug lord Kerwin Espinosa were shot dead on separate occasions on Monday night and Tuesday afternoon in Cebu City.

The two were identified as Richard Jungoy, who was shot dead on Tuesday afternoon, and Michael Lendio who was killed on Monday night.

Jungoy was killed at past 3 p.m. on Tuesday, in Barangay Duljo-Fatima, this city.

Jungoy, a resident of Barangay Guadalupe here, was buying cigarettes from a convenient store when two men on board a motorcycle approached him.

The back-rider then pulled out a gun and shot Jungoy several times, killing him on the spot.

PO3 Cristobal Geronimo of the Cebu City Police Office’s homicide division said Jungoy was identified by a witness as the man who shot Annalou Llaguno last Sept. 30.

“The witness already identified him although we were still investigating the incident,” he said in a phone interview.

Police investigators were still verifying the correct family name of Jungoy, an alleged member of the group of slain drug lord Jeffrey “Jaguar” Diaz.

Geronimo said Jungoy had pending arrest warrants for frustrated homicide and murder.

On Monday evening, two still unknown assailants gunned down Michael Lendio, who was celebrating his 41st birthday, along J.M. Basa Street in Barangay San Nicolas, Cebu City.

Lendio was also identified by the same witness as the person who finished off Llaguno.

Llaguno was married to Espinosa whom she met inside the city jail in Cebu City in 1997 when the suspected drug lord was still a neophyte drug peddler.

The couple, however, separated in 2003 due to jealousy and Espinosa’s philandering.

Llaguno later had a relationship with Diaz who was said to be the biggest drug lord in Central Visayas.

Diaz was killed in an alleged shootout with police operatives in Las Piñas City on June 17.

Last Sept. 30, unidentified assailants shot dead Llaguno while she was riding a scooter driven by her boyfriend in Barangay Duljo-Fatima, Cebu City.

John Joseph Romarate, who was unharmed, brought her to the hospital but she didn’t make it.

Police investigators did not discount the possibility that the killing might be related to illegal drugs amid reports that Llaguno tipped off the police on the presence of Diaz and fled with a bag full of money after Diaz was killed by the police.  SFM