Kerwin Espinosa’s ex-driver shot dead in Albuera, Leyte

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ALBUERA, Leyte – The former driver of Eastern Visayas drug lord Kerwin Espinosa was shot dead by unidentified gunmen on Friday morning while delivering dressed chickens in Sitio Manga, Barangay Seguinon in Albuera town, Leyte.

Senior Inspector Ronald Espina, Albuera police chief, identified the victim as Nelson Pepito Jr., 49, a barangay councilor of Benolho who worked as a driver of Espinosa in 2011.

He died of multiple gunshot wounds.

Melodina Pepito, the victim’s wife, said she and her husband went to Sitio Manga about 6 a.m. to deliver dressed chicken to a customer.

She was weighing the orders while her husband was preparing to list it down when two men on board a motorcycle drove by and the backrider shot her husband.

She said that her husband held his hands high as if trying to appeal to the gunman not to shoot him but to no avail.

The gunman continued shooting him as Pepito fled until he fell to the ground.

Espina said the gunman approached Pepito while the victim was sprawling on the ground and pumped bullets into his body to make sure he was dead.