Korean slay suspect dies after 2 months in comatose

A Korean national who was accused of killing his Filipina friend inside a hotel room died  on Friday afternoon after being comatose for more than two months.

Hyun Chul Hwang, 29, had been confined in the hospital for drug overdose after he tried to kill himself.

Police suspected Hwang of killing 21-year-old Whenvy Jean Noel, a resident of sitio Kinalumsan, barangay Gun-ob, Lapu-Lapu City.

According to the autopsy report, Noel died of asphyxia by strangulation.

The woman had bruises in the face and other parts of the body when she and the Korean were found naked inside a room of Hotel San Francisco in barangay Basak in Feb. 10. The two were found unconscious.

The Korean was found with fluids coming out from his mouth.

Police surmised that the Korean killed Noel then tried to kill himself by taking pills.

The woman was already dead when police and hotel personnel forcibly opened the door. The Korean was brought to the Mactan Doctors’ Hospital before he was moved to the intensive care unit of the Cebu Doctors’ Hospital in Cebu City.

Operatives of the Lapu-Lapu police stood guard at the hospital where the Korean was confined.

Edgar Tantay, supervisor of the hotel, told police that the two checked in at the hotel at 10:45 p.m. on Feb. 8.

At about 1 p.m. the next day Tantay knocked on the door of the room to remind them of the 2 p.m. check-out time.

Tantay said they assumed that the two guests planned to extend their stay when no one responded after he knocked on the door.

Tantay returned to the room at 6 p.m. but the two guests still did not respond.

Elizabeth Palis, hotel manager, called the Marigondon police station to seek help.

Police, led by SPO4 Remegio Ngujo, forced open the door and found the two guests unconscious.

The woman was declared dead at the Mactan Doctors’ Hospital.