Woman shot dead inside own home

By: Jennifer P. Rendon

A 27-YEAR-OLD woman was shot dead inside her own home at Zone 8, Barangay Calumpang, Molo, Iloilo City.

Neighbors claimed they heard gunfire before they saw Belinda Alejo bathed in a pool of her own blood around 7:15 p.m. of Oct. 20, 2019.

Responding policemen rushed the victim to Iloilo Doctors’ Hospital where she was declared dead on arrival.

Police held Joemar Juario, the victim’s live-in partner, in their custody, as he was considered a person of interest.

Investigators noted that Juario was reluctant to divulge any information about the incident.

It was believed that Juario’s nephew, 28-year old Benjie Valencia, also a resident of said place, was the one who shot Alejo dead.

Valencia remains at-large, as of this writing while Juario will be subjected to paraffin examination for gunpowder traces on his hands.

Prior to the incident, Juario allegedly attended a despedida (send-off) party at Valencia’s house.

But Alejo summoned him because their child was having tantrums.

Juario was already home when around four gunshots were heard.

Catalina Juario, Jomar’s mother, claimed that her son told her that Valencia ran while aiming his gun at him.

But she claimed to have no information if the two had quarrelled immediately before the shooting incident happened.

Catalina is not discounting the possibility that the suspect might have turned his ire on Belinda after he failed to harm Juario.