Suspect in murder of seaman’s wife, daughter surrenders to cops

SAN PEDRO CITY—The suspect in the twin murder of a woman and her seven-year-old daughter in General Trias City in Cavite province surrendered to the police early Thursday.

Supt. Janet Arinabo, Cavite police spokesperson, said the suspect, Ruel Cabatingan, is already in the custody of the police in Eastern Visayas.

Senior Superintendent Tranquilino Araral, provincial director of Eastern Samar police office, said that Cabatingan surrendered to authorities.

“He surrendered to the PPO (provincial police office) Region 8 this morning, around 8 a.m. Our police from General Trias are already on their way there to fetch him,” Arinabo said.

Cabatingan was accompanied by his brother who is a resident of Borongan, Eastern Samar.

READ: Seaman’s wife, daughter found dead in Cavite home

The Cavite police on Wednesday filed a case of double murder against Cabatingan for the murder of Ruby Gamos, 37, and her daughter Shaniah Nicole. The case was filed at the Imus prosecutor’s office in Cavite.

“Just this morning, sinamahan ng brother niya doon sa operation officer namin at dumiretso na sila sa Eastern Samar Police Provincial Office,” Araral said in an interview with dzMM.

Araral also confirmed that Cabatingan admitted that he committed the crime.

“Ang sabi niya, he did it. Pinatay niya yung dalawa by choking,” Araral said.

The victims’ bodies were discovered by a relative inside their home in the gated Kensington subdivision in Barangay Navarro on December 11, although investigators believed the crime was committed on December 8.

In a phone interview, Arinabo said Cabatingan turned out to be a “boyfriend” of Gamos, explaining why police earlier found no signs of a forced entry into the victims’ home.

Cabatingan was also a high school batchmate of Gamos’ husband, Marlon, who worked abroad as a seaman.

Arinabo said that social media helped them trace pictures of Cabatingan and Gamos together, leading investigators to an apartment in Imus City Cavite that the two allegedly rented while the husband was away.

There were also witnesses that testified seeing Cabatingan arrive at the victims’ home on December 7 and leaving the house the next day using the family car of Gamos. The car was eventually recovered in Imus City.  /jpv