Robbery was established as the motive behind the killing of the two elderly couple in Novaliches, Quezon City, last weekend following the arrest of the suspect allegedly under the influence of illegal drugs on Tuesday.
Police Brig. Gen. Joselito Esquivel Jr., chief of the Quezon City Police District (QCPD), presented to the media on Wednesday the suspect identified as Carl Joseph Bañanola, 37, a resident of Caloocan City.
Joint operatives of Novaliches Police Station (PS-4), QCPD Criminal Investigation and Detection Unit (CIDU), Northern Police District (NPD) and Caloocan Police Station conducted a hot pursuit operation against Bañanola after receiving information on his whereabouts.
According to the police, Bañanola was under the influence of illegal drugs when he was nabbed on 4th Avenue in Doña Rita, Caloocan City, around 7 p.m., Tuesday.
Bañanola was pointed as the suspect who stabbed to death Nicolas Austria, 86, a retired engineer, and his wife Leonora Austria, 87, a retired government employee, who were discovered bloodied and lifeless inside their house on Diego Silang Street at TS Cruz Subdivision, Barangay San Agustin, Novaliches, about 2 p.m. last Sunday.
The couple’s housemaid, Editha Fernandez, 63, was also found lying on the floor of the dirty kitchen with head fractures and bruises on her body.
The incident was reported by the couple’s daughter Maria Liza Austria, 56, when she visited her parents’ home.
Authorities recovered from the crime scene a kitchen knife and a steel pipe both with blood stains.
Also they found in the kitchen a red sando and black shorts also with blood stains which led to the identification of Bañanola.
A witness, a former co-worker of Bañanola, confirmed that the recovered clothes were owned by the suspect which he worn several times before the incident happened.
Meanwhile, Fernandez, who underwent surgery, also positively identified the suspect as the same man who hit her.
During the confrontation at the hospital, Fernandez said the suspect struck her head with a steel pipe thrice.
It was learned that Bañanola used to deliver fresh eggs in the neighborhood of the victims for months but was removed from work for more than a week now.
Bañanola admitted the crime and said that the killing was unintentional as his main target is to steal money from the victims. He bared that he was under the influence of illegal drugs during the incident.
According to the suspect, he will use the money for renting an apartment because he is just living on the street.
Recovered from Bañanola was the stolen money amounting to P16,100 believed to be part of P38,000 stolen from the victims.
Investigators said Bañanola used the money to purchase illegal drugs.
Further investigation showed that the suspect was included in the drug watchlist of a barangay in Caloocan City and was a subject of case build-up.
Bañanola is now detained at the QCPD-CIDU while cases of robbery with homicide and frustrated murder will be filed against him at the City Prosecutor’s Office. (Alexandria San Juan)
