Laborer wanted for killing neighbor nabbed in La Castellana

By Glazyl M. Jopson

BACOLOD CITY, Philippines — A 29-year-old laborer wanted for allegedly stabbing his neighbor to death due to personal grudges was arrested in Barangay Cabacungan, La Castellana, Negros Occidental, on Sunday.

The suspect, identified only as “Jury,” was tagged by police as the second most wanted person in the Negros Island Region (NIR).

An arrest warrant for murder, with no bail recommended, was issued by the Regional Trial Court Branch 63 in La Carlota City on Jan. 16, 2026.

Police Capt. Jose Michael Muñez, deputy chief of the La Castellana Municipal Police Station, said the grudge stemmed from a misunderstanding between the suspect and the victim.

He said the suspect initially intervened in an attempt to pacify an argument between the victim and his family but eventually became involved in the altercation.

Both parties had reportedly settled the issue at the barangay level.

The victim’s decomposing body was found stuffed in a sack of animal feed and dumped in the middle of a sugarcane field on March 22, 2025 — a week after the killing.

Muñez said the victim was last seen alive by his family on March 12, 2025. He had reportedly been drinking with the suspect prior to his disappearance.

Two other suspects linked to the crime remain at large.