Man earlier held for model’s death slain in QC

Death came at breakfast for a man who was arrested in November last year together with the suspects in the abduction and killing of a commercial model in Quezon City.

The police said Gelan Pasawilan, 28, was shot dead by a neighbor early Saturday morning inside his house on Cotabato Street at the Salaam Mosque compound in Barangay Culiat.

PO2 Marlon de la Vega of the Quezon City Police District said another resident identified as Nasher Alamansa of Sulu Street suddenly entered the house around 5:30 a.m. and shot the victim in the chest as he and his family were having breakfast. The suspect then walked out of the house after seeing Pasawilan fall.

De la Vega said Pasawilan’s family refused to talk to him on the possible motive behind Saturday’s attack.

The victim’s wife Samirah did not let crime scene investigators into her house and executed a waiver saying she no longer wish to have the case probed by the police, he added.

Pasawilan was arrested in November last year and was initially considered a suspect in the abduction and murder of Arellano University student and part-time model Julie Ann Rodelas.

He was picked up by the police for keeping unlicensed firearms as they swooped down on the Salaam Compound in search of the Rodelas case suspects, who included her friend and fellow model Altea Altamirano, the latter’s boyfriend and another Culiat resident.

Pasawilan was eventually dropped as a suspect in the Rodelas case but was charged with illegal possession of firearms.