2 inmates behind ex-Batangas lawmaker’s slay – PNP
Credit to Author: Darwin Pesco| Date: Thu, 23 Jan 2020 04:48:14 +0000
THE Philippine National Police (PNP) bared on Thursday that two convicted inmates were the masterminds behind the killing of former Batangas 2nd District Rep. Edgar Mendoza, Sr. and his two companions.
Maj. Gen. Joel Napoleon Coronel, Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) director, identified the suspects as Sherwin Sanchez and Arthur Fajardo, both inmates of the New Bilibid Prison (NBP).
The PNP said the motive of the two was that instead of paying millions of pesos for Mendoza’s legal services, they hired people to kill the congressman.
Mendoza’s driver, Ruel Ruiz, and bodyguard, Nicanor Mendoza, were collateral damage, Coronel said.
Meanwhile, Coronel announced that the five other suspects in the killing were now under police custody namely: Kristine Fernandez, Madonna Palermo, Carlo Acuña alias “Bakla,” Erickson Balbastros and Marua Roe Fajardo.
Another accomplice, Rodel Mercado, is at large.
On January 9, the burned bodies of Mendoza and his companions were found inside a Honda Civic in Tiaong, Quezon at about 1:45 a.m., according to Quezon Provincial Director Col. Audi Madrideo.
The arrested suspects are now in the custody of police as three counts of murder will be filed against them.
A manhunt on Mercado is ongoing.