By AARON B. RECUENCO
An ex-convict who was arrested for the rape-slay of an eight-year old girl in Nueva Ecija allegedly grabbed the service firearm of his police escort before shooting himself to death inside Camp Crame in Quezon City.
Senior Supt. Glenn Dumlao, director of the Anti-Kidnapping Group (AKG), said the suicide of Hilario Herrer occurred while he was being escorted back to the detention facility inside the unit’s compound at around 9 p.m. on Tuesday.
“He (Herrera) and his escorts just came from an inquest proceedings when he grabbed the service firearm and shot himself,” said Dumlao, adding that a case of kidnapping with rape and homicide was filed against the suspect at the Department of Justice in Manila before the suicide.
Dumlao said his two escorts did not expect Herrera to commit suicide as there was no indication since the time he was arrested in Palawan after the rape-slay in Nueva Ecija.
Herrera was accused of raping the daughter of his employer before dumping her body in to a creek last week. He worked as a househelp.
But to ease doubts of a foul play, Dumlao said he immediately asked the two police escorts of Herrera to be subjected to paraffin test and immediately cordoned off and called police investigators.
Asked what could have prompted Herrera to commit suicide, Dumlao said the latter might have been remorseful since his employers had been very kind to him.
Another reason is the alleged unwritten rule at the Iwahig Penal colony that rape convicts are being killed, especially those whose victims are children.
It was learned that Herrera served 10 years at the Iwahig Penal Colony for a case of robbery. He was released on parole in 2014.
“There’s a tradition there (Iwahig) that if your case is rape, you will be killed. Maybe it entered his mind that he would be killed,” said Dumlao.
The official said Herrera has a history of sexual assault even before the rape-slay case.
He said that after he was released, Herrera was accused of rape in Palawan which forced him to go to Nueva Ecija where he was accepted by a relative.
But he was kicked out after he was also accused of molesting the daughter of his kin.
It was then that he was allowed to work as a househelp of the relatives of his last victim.
Dumlao said they immediately took Herrera to the nearby PNP General Hospital where he was declared dead.
