3 Carpenter killing suspects test positive for drugs

By Glazyl M. Jopson

BACOLOD CITY — Three of the four suspects arrested in the killing of 73-year-old American marine biologist Kent E. Carpenter in Sibulan, Negros Oriental, tested positive for drug use, police said.

Police Capt. Stephen Polinar, spokesperson for the Negros Oriental Police Provincial Office, identified the three only as Mark, 26; Jal, 40; and Ciem, 21.

Polinar said drug testing is standard procedure for people taken into police custody.

However, he declined to elaborate on how the test results could affect the robbery with homicide complaint filed against the suspects.

“I cannot speak more of it. It’s up to the prosecutor to decide its relevance to the case,” Polinar said.

Authorities arrested Mark on July 15.

Jal was arrested later, while Ciem surrendered the following day.

The fourth suspect, a 21-year-old man identified only as Eric, surrendered to authorities on July 17.

Their apprehensions came after Carpenter was shot and killed inside his home in Barangay Ajong on July 12.

Carpenter’s 34-year-old Filipina partner was injured during the attack and became a key witness in the investigation.

The suspects allegedly stole PHP 75,000, a laptop and a pair of binoculars from the couple.

Polinar said two other suspects remained at large, bringing to six the number of people believed to have been involved in the attack.

Police recently identified a sixth possible suspect, although investigators have yet to determine that person’s role in the crime.

Aside from the robbery with homicide complaint, authorities filed a rape complaint, Polinar said.

He did not disclose details of the complaint or identify which suspect was accused.

The complaint stemmed from the allegation of Carpenter’s partner that one of the suspects sexually assaulted her.

The Special Investigation Task Group-Carpenter has conducted crime scene reconstruction, forensic examinations, closed-circuit television footage analysis, intelligence operations and witness interviews.

Police said those efforts led to the identification and apprehension of the four suspects.

Police Brig. Gen. Romano Cardiño, director of the Police Regional Office-Negros Island Region, said the investigation would continue despite the progress in the case.

“We will ensure that everyone involved is held accountable before the law,” Cardiño said in a statement.

He commended the police units involved for their swift and coordinated response.

Cardiño said the progress demonstrated the Philippine National Police’s commitment to delivering justice through professional and evidence-based investigations.

He also thanked the local community for its cooperation, saying public support contributed significantly to the investigation.

PRO-NIR said the investigation remained active and that authorities would pursue additional legal action based on the evidence.

Polinar said Carpenter’s remains had been cremated.

Authorities were awaiting his family’s decision on the disposition of the remains, he added.

Silliman University in Dumaguete City announced that memorial services for Carpenter would be held July 20–22 at Udarbe Chapel.

The services were scheduled daily from 4:30–6:30 p.m.

The university said the gatherings would allow Carpenter’s colleagues, friends, members of the scientific community, local government officials and the public to honor his life and contributions to marine science, biodiversity conservation and environmental research.

Silliman called on the community to seek justice and full, impartial accountability for the circumstances surrounding Carpenter’s death.

Carpenter was a professor emeritus of biological sciences at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, where he had worked since 1996.

He was also a longtime researcher and lecturer at Silliman University and had collaborated with the institution on marine studies since 1976.

Carpenter’s research focused on marine conservation in the Philippines and the Coral Triangle, a region of exceptional marine biodiversity spanning parts of the western Pacific and Indian oceans.

He served as a biodiversity expert for the Philippines in its arbitration case against China over the South China Sea.

His testimony addressed environmental damage linked to island-building and fishing activities in disputed waters.

The international arbitration tribunal ruled in July 2016 that China’s expansive maritime claims had no legal basis and found that island construction had caused severe harm to coral reef environments.

Carpenter was in the Philippines on an extended research assignment and had planned to retire in September.