NBI probes killing of De Lima’s guard: A message to Leila?

The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has started looking into the killing of a security escort of Justice Secretary Leila de Lima to determine if his death was an isolated case or intended to send a message to the Cabinet official.

NBI Deputy Director for Technical Services Reynaldo Esmeralda said he had dispatched a team to secure the crime scene in Barangay (village) Garlang, San Ildefonso town in Bulacan, where the body of 32-year-old Alistair Quintos was found Friday morning.

“I have tasked the team to coordinate closely with the agent in charge in Bulacan to conduct a technical investigation on the circumstances behind the death,” Esmeralda said.

An autopsy has revealed that Quintos was shot in the left side of the chest at close range, Esmeralda said.

But what was puzzling, he said, was a “bite mark” on Quintos’ left arm. The body will also be subjected to paraffin testing, the NBI official added.—Jeannette I. Andrade