THE highest ranking police official in Cebu City said that the case against Simeon Gabutero, the suspect in the killing of Rhea Mae, has already been prepared.
According to Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) Chief Colonel Ireneo Dalogdog, the murder case will be filed against Gabutero this week.
However, the victim’s family in Mindanao alerted the authorities that they planned to go to Cebu to personally file the case.
Tocmo was discovered dead inside a cardboard box by the side of the road in Sitio Mohon, Barangay Tisa, Cebu City on July 17, 2023.
Dalogdog regarded their case as solid due to the evidence they gathered, including the CCTV footage, the victim’s cellphone, the findings of the DNA test, and the admission of the main suspect, Gabutero, that he killed Rhea Mae.
The suspect’s 13-year-old brother, who was present when Tocmo’s body was dumped into Sitio Mohon, will also provide a sworn statement.
The habal-habal driver also went to Labangon Police Station recently and claimed to be the one who drove the victim to Sitio Sampaguita in Banawa, Barangay Guadalupe, Cebu City, where Gabutero lived and paid Rhea Mae’s fare.
“Ma consider nato nga lig-on gyud ni nga ebedensya no kay dili man siya tumo-tumo, unang una katong backtracking sa CCTV footage nga makita gyud nato didto ang movement, usa nakuhaan napud nato og affidavit ang katong mismong driver sa motor nga yellow nga maoy mihatod sa biktima kay siya mismo niingon gyud siya nga positively identified niya ang maong suspetsado kay pag baba sa biktima gisugat ni siya sa maong suspetsado,” Dalogdog said.
(This is a strong case because the evidence is not made up; first was the backtracking of the CCTV footage where we can actually see the movement there, another thing is we also got an affidavit from the driver of the yellow motorcycle who transported the victim because he himself said that he positively identified the suspect because he met the victim when the latter got off the motorcycle).(AYB, TPT)
