Manhunt on for cop who killed wife

The registered nurse who was shot dead in Manila last week by her husband, a policeman based in Tuguegarao City, had been a “battered wife” trying to get away from an abusive relationship, according to the investigator.

As the manhunt intensifies for PO1 Nathan Legasi, more details emerged of a man who tried to woo his wife back but ended up shooting her in the face before she could start a new life in a foreign land.

Krizzia Legasi, 26, had been staying for two weeks at the NIC Apartment on Manrique Street in Sampaloc when her husband, armed with a .45-cal. pistol, caught up with her Wednesday afternoon.

The policeman, who posed as a new tenant and used the alias “Joshua Pacete of Mabalacat, Pampanga,” fled after the shooting. The suspect was said to be a member of the 1st Maneuver Company of the Police Regional Office II– 2nd Regional Public Safety Battalion based in Tuguegarao.

“Her relatives claimed that Krizzia had been a battered wife and wanted out of her marriage with Legasi which was why she went to Manila to apply for a job abroad,” said case investigator PO3 Alonzo Layugan.

Before Krizzia left Tuguegarao for Manila, family members usually noticed her sporting bruises on her body, Layugan added.

According to the woman’s relatives, Legasi was unreasonably jealous and confronted the victim whenever anyone called her on her mobile phone.

“Apparently last month, the victim finally decided to leave Legasi and apply for a job in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia,” the investigator said.

Legasi then tried to woo her back and promised to change his ways, he said, citing the text messages the suspect sent to Krizzia days before the killing.

But based on Krizzia’s responses, she was intent on finding a job abroad and leaving him.

“They got married when Krizzia was a college sophomore. Her parents said Legasi seemed a responsible person two years into the marriage but changed when she graduated and started receiving job offers after passing the nursing board exams in 2009,” the investigator explained.

He said Legasi had apparently grown suspicious that his wife was already seeing another man.