Ortega slay suspect murdered, says PAO forensics consultant

Murder suspects Dennis Aranas (L) and Marlon Recamata arrive at the Department of Justice, Manila for the preliminary investigation of the murder case of radio broadcaster Dr. Gerry Ortega in this February 2011 file photo. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines–The head of the Public Attorney’s Office forensics department on Monday concluded that Dennis Aranas, who was supposed to turn state witness in the January 2011 Ortega slay case, was himself a victim of murder.

Following a re-autopsy on Aranas’ body at the Funeraria Popular in San Pablo City, PAO forensic consultant Erwin Erfe found no evidence that the Quezon provincial jail inmate had hanged himself. What Erfe discovered were marks on the body which pointed at Aranas’ being mauled before he was strangled.

At a press conference held Monday noon at the PAO headquarters in Quezon City, Erfe revealed that based on his post-mortem examination, the ligature mark around Aranas’ neck was too low to indicate that he hanged himself and that there were fingernail marks on the right side of the neck to indicate he had been strangled by hand.

Bruises were also found on his legs and arms apparently showing Aranas had been held down while contusions on his face, Erfe said, indicated that the former inmate had been punched or bludgeoned.

“He (Aranas) did not hang himself. He was strangled … It is impossible that he died from hanging himself. The marks are typical of … ligature strangulation, that he was strangled by somebody else,” Erfe concluded, adding that the victim died while lying down and not while he was hanging.

He further said that based on the bruises and marks on the body, there were a minimum of four persons who may have committed the killing. “There were at least two who pinned him (Aranas) down by the arms and legs. One strangled Aranas with his hands while another held on to the item that was tied around the victim’s neck.”

“We have completely ruled out the initial finding of asphyxia by hanging (suicide),” Erfe said.

PAO chief Persida Acosta said that her agency would be asking the Interior and Local Government Secretary Manuel Roxas II for an investigation on the matter.

“We will ask the secretary to order the BJMP (Bureau of Jail Management and Penology) to conduct an intensive investigation at the provincial jail. With so many inmates, I doubt that nobody saw what really happened,” she said.