Criminal raps filed vs suspect in slay of a family of evacuees from Marawi

ILOILO CITY – The hammer-wielding suspect who attacked a family of evacuees from war-torn Marawi City has confessed to the crime.

Police also discovered that the suspect’s real name is Jay-R Muana and not Mark Ganava as he earlier told investigators.

Muana told investigators that he attacked Muamar Ditingki, his wife Asnifah and the couple’s five-month-long old son in retribution after Ditingki chided him the night before the attack.

“He told us he got irked when Ditingki chided him for unknown reasons. He came back early the next morning when the victims were asleep,” said Chief Insp. Juvy Navales, chief of the Mandurriao District police station.

Ditingki, 29, and his five-month-old son died after they were repeatedly struck by a hammer mostly in the head. His wife Asnifah, 21, was seriously injured and is still being treated at the Western Visayas Medical Center.

The couple had occupied one of the kiosks at the Mandurriao District plaza selling ready-to-wear clothes.

They were among the families who fled from Marawi City after Maute terror group members occupied the city and battled with government troops.

Ditingki’s family was staying with relatives in Zarraga town and had been selling clothes at the plaza for several weeks when they were attacked around 4:15 a.m. on Sunday.

Police arrested Muana at Barangay Calajunan also in Mandurriao District after he was identified by witnesses as the person seen fleeing the kiosk of the victims.

On Tuesday, police filed a criminal complaint before the Iloilo City Prosecutor’s Office against the suspect for double murder, frustrated murder and concealing true name.

But at the prosecutor’s office, Muana claimed he was with two other persons and he was “forced” to kill the victims.

“He claimed one of the men held a knife at him while he struck the victims. He keeps on changing his story,” Navales said.

Muana remained detained at the Mandurriao police station.