Man who was acquitted for college student’s rape-slay shot dead

By Glazyl Y. Masculino

BACOLOD City – Police are looking into land conflict or personal conflict as possible motives behind the killing of a man who confessed to molesting a college student here in 2015 at Barangay III, Himamaylan City, Negros Occidental last Monday

Barely two months after he was acquitted of the charge in November 2021 due to some technicalities, Ricardo Ewayan, 49, of the said village, was gunned down by unidentified perpetrators on his birthday.

Police Captain Romulo Gepilango, deputy police chief of Himamaylan City Police Station, said Ewayan was harvesting rice from their rice field when the gunman who was hiding in the bushes emerged and shot him.

Ewayan ran but he was chased and shot again which caused his death, Gepilango said, adding that the gunman also reportedly had lookouts in the area.

Gepilango said the victim was identified as the self-confessed suspect behind the rape-slay of 19-year-old Shella Mae Condes in Barangay Estefania here in 2015.

Ewayan was a tricycle driver here at that time.

Gepilango said they are not discounting the possibility that the killing of Ewayan might have something to do with his previous case.

Aside from that, Gepilango said they are also eyeing land conflict since Ewayan’s family has a big farm.

Gepilango said they have no lead yet on the identities of the perpetrators.