Suspect in Korean’s slay, 8 heists falls

SOQUE at QCPD: How could someone with three sisters and a daughter do it? Mayor Herbert Bautista asked this about the rape, robbery and homicide suspect. QCPD PHOTO

The Quezon City police finally caught the man tagged in eight robberies, three rapes and the killing of a Korean woman, just as he was about to stage another heist on Thursday.

Based on an anonymous tip, Mark Soque, 29, was arrested at 10:30 a.m. in front of Ever Gotesco mall on Commonwealth Avenue, where he had already picked his next target, according to Quezon City Police District (QCPD) director Chief Supt. Joel Pagdilao.

When confronted, Soque, a Commonwealth resident, owned up to the heists although he denied raping three of his victims and killing Korean Park Mi-kyung when she refused to give up her cell phone.

According to him, it was his partner in crime—who remains at large—who raped the women and shot Park in the head after she walked into a café they were robbing on Feb. 9.

His denials, however, crumbled when he was positively identified by some of his victims, including one of the raped women.

Park Yong-jeung, consul and police attaché of the Korean Embassy, thanked the city government and the QCPD for solving the Park Mi-kyung case.

“We were very shocked. The news spread [widely] in Korea. Many Koreans were concerned about this case. So they canceled their travel to the Philippines, and many Koreans living in the Philippines [planned] to leave. We were very scared and afraid,” the consul said.

“Fortunately, the QCPD did an excellent job [of finding] this suspect. Thank you very much. But still, there are many Koreans operating businesses in the Philippines. They are saying this is not enough. So please deploy more police officers. Let foreigners like us live safely here and operate our businesses,” he added.

Mayor Herbert Bautista gave an assurance that “the city government [would] be proactive and relentless in addressing the issue of criminality.’’

Soque was then on a red motorbike when found carrying a .45-cal. pistol, a grenade and several sachets of what was believed to be “shabu,” said QCPD-Criminal Investigation and Detection Unit head Chief Insp. Rodelio Marcelo.

Pagdilao said Soque took around P700,000 from his 40 victims, some of whom later positively identified him. One of the rape victims repeatedly hit him while screaming: “You’re an animal!”

Bautista himself hit him in the head and kicked him, before walking away and muttering: “So you’re a rapist.”

The mayor later denied doing this, but admitted that he was overcome with pity for the women.

“[Soque] has three sisters, a daughter and lives with his mother. He is surrounded by women and yet he does this,” the mayor said.

The eight robberies in Quezon City were attributed to the suspect—three of them pulled off with an accomplice—started on Dec. 23 at Genilo Dermasolutions, a skin clinic on Maginhawa Street, UP Village.

Park, the Korean woman, was killed in the last robbery, at Beanleaf Cafe in Don Antonio Heights, Barangay (village) Holy Spirit.

Before she walked into the coffee shop around noon on Feb. 9, Soque had already robbed and raped the two female crew members.

The other establishments he targeted were the Hoy, Panga! restaurant on Commonwealth; Kafe Hugo and Le Joyz Spa both on Tomas Morato; Infinitea restaurant on Regalado Avenue, Barangay Fairview; VM Designs Furniture on Katipunan Avenue; and Fiesta Food on East Avenue.

The hunt continues for Soque’s partner in crime.