Another man ‘brutally killed’

By: Glazyl Y. Masculino

BACOLOD City – Police here are investigating another brutal killing of an unidentified man whose body was found in a sugarcane field at Barangay Pandanon Silos, Murcia, Negros Occidental Saturday, December 14.

Police Major Robert Dejucos, town police chief, said a tricycle driver found the body of the victim, whose face was covered with plastic and duct tape, at the roadside around 8:30 a.m.

Dejucos said both the victim’s hands and legs were also hogtied with packing tape. He suffered a gunshot wound in the head.

“We cannot yet tell if he was tortured before he was killed as we will still be waiting for the post mortem examination,” he added.

Dejucos said the victim has no identity yet but they have seen tattoos on his arms bearing the name of “Melvin Odicta” and “Christine.”

Odicta, a suspected drug lord, and his wife Merriam were considered the biggest illegal drug financers in Western Visayas. They were shot dead at Caticlan port in Malay, Aklan in August 2016.

He said the victim was probably killed somewhere and was left in the areas as they failed to recover bullet shells at the crime scene.

He said they are still investigating if the incident was related to the killing of an abducted drug surrenderer here last week.

Last December 3, Ontao Sacar, 66, a native of Marawi City, and temporarily residing at Barangay Mandalagan here, was killed by unidentified armed men.

Although the manner of the killing seems similar to the incident in Murcia town, Dejucos said they cannot yet conclude anything since they don’t have the victim’s identity. But he claimed that it could possibly be drug-related because of his tattoos.

He said there have been no reports of missing person in the town or abduction in the past days which can be connected to the incident.

He said they are still investigating the incident to establish the motive.