Cops charge suspect in killing of Navotas ‘honesty store’ owner

With the help of the victim’s neighbors, Navotas City policemen have identified the suspect who robbed and stabbed dead a 66-year-old stroke victim who owned what the community considered an “honesty store.”

Edward Aklaz Punzalan, who remains at large, was charged on Wednesday in the city prosecutor’s office for the killing of Erlinda Laquindanum.

Laquindanum, a well-liked figure in Barangay Tangos because of the help she had extended to her neighbors, was found dead inside her house on F. Abiola Street on May 8.

Missing from her store were three cartons of cigarettes worth P3,600 and a piggy bank believed to be containing up to P15,000 in cash.

PO3 Joemar Juhan of the city police investigation unit said two witnesses had pointed to Punzalan as the man who broke into the house of Laquindanum, where she also operated the store. The woman may have been attacked while asleep or could not have resisted since she had difficulty talking and walking after suffering two strokes, the officer said.

Known as “Dete” in the neighborhood, Laquindanum had helped a lot of residents, including Punzalan, who ran errands for her.
Honor system

After she suffered a stroke, neighbors practiced the honor system whenever they went to her store. “The people would take the items they need and leave their payment,” Juhan said.

After learning of her death, residents came forward to help the police solve the case.

Juhan said one of the witnesses was walking home at 3:30 a.m. on May 8 when he passed by Laquindanum’s house and noticed that her window was slightly open.

When he looked inside, he said he saw Punzalan by the victim’s bed, stabbing her with a knife.

Juhan explained that Laguindanum’s bedroom and store were in the living room. Although the lights were off in the sala, there was enough light coming from the kitchen for the witness to see what was happening in the living room.

The witness added that Punzalan saw him peeking through the window. The suspect rushed to the door, pointed the knife at him and then placed his forefinger on his lips as if signaling him not to talk about what he saw.

Another witness, the victim’s grandchild, spotted the suspect standing near Laquindanum’s house hours before the killing, leaning on the window repeatedly as if testing it.

The grandchild told Punzalan to leave as he might wake up Laquindanum. Punzalan did but he and the grandchild met again at a nearby wake around 2 a.m.

“From the people there, the grandchild learned that Punzalan was in need of money,” Juhan said.