Cops to charge Tabuelan man in murder of niece

Police will file today murder charges against the 31-year-old man suspected of killing his 6-year-old niece Lara Mae Concodin in barangay Villahermosa, Tabuelan, northwest Cebu.

Efren Matedios was brought to the Cebu Provincial Prosecutors’ Office yesterday morning for an inquest proceeding, a mandatory procedure following an arrest.

His strange behavior prompted Assistant Provincial Prosecutor Petronio Elesterio to skip the usual procedure and evaluate the complaint based on the affidavits of witnesses.

Elesterio found probable cause to elevate the charges against Matedios before the Regional Trial Court in Toledo City, which has jurisdiction over crimes in Tabuelan.

Police are set to file the charges in court today so Matedios will be committed to the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center in barangay Kalunasan, Cebu City.

In an interview, Matedios admitted to killing his nephew.

He, however, claimed he did nothing wrong.

“I don’t have any regrets. I have not done anything. It was the devil who killed the girl,” Matedios told reporters.

He said the devil asked him to kill and cut open the stomach of his niece to unite evil forces.

Matedios said he used a jalousie window blade to cut open the stomach of the girl.

He said he is willing to go to prison.

People who saw Matedios’ actuation said he is out of his mind.

Matedios said he has not taken illegal drugs.

He sat on the floor through the proceedings.

Police had to carry him out of the prosecutors’ office.

Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma said he will discuss with priests in Cebu the issue of cult involvement that may have led to the murder.

Palma said he will also discuss the incident with renowned Cebu exorcist Msgr. Frederick B. Kriekenbeek of Sto. Rosario Parish, to check if there was “evil influence” on Matedios, whose actions were not natural.

“We can’t judge him because we don’t know his mind,” Palma said in an interview at the Archbishop’s Palace.

Palma said he would also inquire with the parish priest of Tabuelan about the presence of a cult in the municipality.

Last December, a father, reportedly a member of a cult known as “Tagod-tagod Gang” that reads a prayer booklet in Latin, beheaded his year-old son in Tabuelan.

Palma expressed sadness on behalf of the clergy over the family’s misfortune, and said the flock should pray for Matedios’ enlightenment.

He urged the Department of Social Welfare and Development to provide emotional support for the family.