Lacson panel shares NBI findings: Espinosa killing ‘premeditated’

Sen. Panfilo Lacson
INQUIRER FILE PHOTO/LYN RILLON

A Senate panel that investigated the November 5 killing of Albuera, Leyte Mayor Rolando Espinosa Sr. shared the National Bureau of Investigation’s (NBI) findings that his death was “premeditated,” Senator Panfilo Lacson said on Wednesday.

Lacson is chairman of the Senate committee on public order and dangerous drugs that investigated Espinosa’s killing.

He said the committee wrapped up its probe by holding an executive session at the Senate on Wednesday morning attended by NBI and police officials.

Asked what would be the committee’s conclusion, the senator said it would be the same with the NBI’s findings.

“Yes, premeditated. May mga bagong information pa (There is a new information) pointing to premeditated murder,” Lacson told reporters.

He said the “smoking gun” in the Senate probe was the conflicting statements on the time of entry of a police unit that raided Espinosa’s cell at Baybay Leyte provincial jail that resulted in his death.

The senator particularly cited the claim of Police Supt. Marvin Marcos, head of Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) in Eastern Visayas, that the raiding team entered the provincial jail at 4:30 a.m. of November 5.

But the committee, during the hearings found out, that the police already called the scene of the crime operatives (Soco) at 3:49 a.m.

“Yung twist doon, kasi may CCTV (closed-circuit television) [cameras] sa DPWH (Department of Public Works and Highways) office na may time. Pumasok talaga 3:05 to 3:06 (a.m.) pero iba ang purpose ni Marcos for saying na 4:30 (a.m.) instead na totoong oras. Binago niya. May malevolent reason bakit binago niya ang timeline,” Lacson said.

(The twist there is there are CCTV cameras in DPWH office indicating the time. The police entered 3:05 to 3:06 a.m. but Marcos has a different purpose for saying it’s 4:30 a.m. instead of the actual time. He changed it. There is a malevolent reason why he changed the timeline.)

READ: Senators grill cops on ‘premeditated’ killing of Espinosa

Lacson said he would release the report of his committee in January next year. RAM