NAIC, Cavite – A woman was hammered then beheaded on Tuesday night by a man out of jealousy while they were inside a cottage at Aroma Beach Resort in Barangay Munting Mapino, this municipality.
Grace Castillo Ilagan, 43, was found naked waist up without her head in the cottage bathroom by a room boy and other resort personnel Tuesday night.
Mobile policemen arrested the alleged assailant – Edgardo Arbas Poblete, 55, a construction worker – while fleeing on the highway in the municipality at 5 a.m. Wednesday.
Poblete’s arrest came after the head of Ilagan was earlier found submerged and her shoulder bag afloat in the river near the resort cottages. The bag contained personal belongings and the hammer believed used by the suspect in the grisly incident.
Also recovered at the scene was a double-bladed “balisong” (folding knife) that was allegedly used by the suspect in cutting the victim’s head.
Chief Inspector Gil Tisado Torralba, municipal police chief, citing reports of resort personnel, said that Poblete and Ilagan checked in at the resort at 6:45 p.m. and occupied cottage Room No. 1.
A roomboy, one Raffy Maranan Poblete, 31, said that the suspect went out of the cottage at 9 p.m. Tuesday and saw him threw something in the river near the cottage before leaving the vicinity.
When the room boy went to the cottage to check his companion, he found the door locked which prompted him to call the attention of the other personnel.
The roomboy and the personnel found the body of a woman lying with her front down in the bathroom. They reported the find to the police.
Police chief Torralba said that suspect Poblete was nabbed by his men, with the help of barangay tanod (village watchmen) as he was waiting for a ride on the highway before dawn Wednesday.
When interrogated, Torralba said Poblete admitted the crime and he did it due to jealousy.
“Sinabi ng suspect na nagselos daw siya dahil nakita niyang minsan sinundo ng lalaki ‘yung victim,” Torralba said.
Torralba said that Poblete and Ilagan are both married. The suspect lives at Barangay Sampalukan, Barangay Ibayo, Silangan, Naic.
Torralba said that a murder charge would be filed against Poblete is now detained at the municipal police station jail. (ANTHONY GIRON)