By MINKA TIANGCO
Police are preparing murder charges against the uncle of the 12-year-girl whose throat was slit inside the family residence in Caloocan City Thursday.
Senior Superintendent Restituto Arcangel, Caloocan police chief, identified the suspect as Reynaldo Urbano, a 43-year-old jeepney driver, and brother of the victim’s mother.
Urbano, who was arrested Friday evening, had confessed to killing Mhyrraquel Singson during interrogation, but police said they could not use it because of his inconsistent statements.
Initially, Urbano told precinct commander Harold Melgar that he took a bath at the Singson family residence and left about 2:30 p.m., an hour and a half before the victim’s body was found by house helper Rossel Villaralbo.
During succeeding interrogation, the suspect said he killed the victim because of his “extreme anger” with her father and that he took a bath to wash off the blood.
Even without the confession, police said they have enough evidence to pin down the suspect.
“Sa circumstancial evidence na meron kami sakanya, malaki talaga ang probability na siya ang gumawa,” said Arcangel.
After failing to get into the house even with the help of village security men, the house helper told police that she called the suspect whom she knew has a spare key.
But Villaralbo said she saw Urbano unlock the house using the victim’s key which he left on the sofa.
“Ang tanong, bakit nasa kanya ‘yung susi nung bata?,” Arcangel asked. “And why did he leave the keys by the sofa? To make it appear as if the door was open the whole time. To make it appear that other people entered the house.”
Arcangel said the two mobile phones reported missing from the house may have been taken by Urbano “purposely to mislead investigators.”
The police official said they are eyeing rape as the suspect’s possible motive.
Aside from the slit throat, a wound was found on the left side of the victim indicating that the suspect may have pointed a kitchen knife, according to Arcangel.
“Sinabi ko sakanya, ‘ginanon mo ‘yung bata kasi gusto mong rape-in, ‘di ba?’ Hindi siya umimik,” he said.
Arcangel said the suspect may have attempted to rape the victim who fought back, prompting him to kill her.
Autopsy results have yet to be released.
The police official said Urbano admitted to using drugs “from time to time.”
Police investigators have lifted some fingerprints from the crime scene, but the results will not be available until after 10 to15 days.
The suspect is now being held at the Caloocan City Jail. (Minka Tiangco)
